Japan: An earthquake measuring about 7.3 on the Richter scale shook western Japan yesterday, the second strong quake to hit the area in five hours, and evacuations were ordered as tidal waves approached the coast, NHK television said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said tsunamis - tidal waves generated by seismic activity - measuring up to two metres high could hit some areas of the Pacific coast, and some measuring less than one metre had already struck.
Residents of Owase City, in Mie Prefecture, were ordered to evacuate to higher ground to avoid the tsunamis and there were reports of fishing boats being overturned in the city's harbour.
Television pictures showed residents leaving home, carrying children and belongings.
NHK said at least seven people had been injured in the latest quake, which struck at 11.55 p.m (2.55 p.m. GMT).
An official in Wakayama City, in Wakayama Prefecture, saw what appeared to be a tidal wave one metre high surging up a river, the broadcaster added.
Three people were injured in the earlier quake, which measured 6.9 on the Richter Scale and struck just after 10 a.m. GMT, according to media reports.
Both quakes measured five on the Japanese intensity scale of seven and were centred in the Pacific Ocean, about 500 km (310 miles) south-west of Tokyo at a depth of about ten km (six miles).
There may be strong aftershocks, Katsuyuki Abe, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo, told NHK.
Much of the affected area relies on fishing and agriculture as well as tourism, centred on the cities of Nara and Kyoto.
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, with an earthquake occurring every five minutes.
The country accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude six or greater. A quake of that magnitude has the potential to cause major damage in built-up areas.
Memories are still vivid of the earthquake in the western city of Kobe, which killed more than 6,400 people in 1995. That quake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. - (Reuters)