Massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued

A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Ishikawa in central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents of coastal areas to evacuate and prepare for possible aftershocks.

A tsunami warning covers a wide part of the country's western coast, with waves up to 5 meters expected in Ishikawa.

Coastal prefectures of Niigata, Toyama, and Yamagata have been advised to evacuate by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Waves over 1 meter high have already hit Wajima City in Ishikawa prefecture.

There are checks underway by the Hokuriku Electric Power at nuclear power plants for any issues.

The quake, felt in Tokyo and the Kanto area, is causing concerns about potential high waves along the Sea of Japan. 

This situation is similar to the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

Notably, this is the strongest earthquake recorded on the Japanese scale.