As we have been reporting, the tsunami warnings have been downgraded to advisories across Japan’s northeast coast.

However, emergency alert app NERV says people are still advised to remain away from the coast and to avoid any large bodies of water until the advisories have been lifted.

Government evacuation orders, issued after the earlier tsunami warnings, mean around 156,000 people were told to evacuate across five prefectures.

Japanese authorities have now downgraded the tsunami warnings in place around the northeastern coast to advisories., external

Japan has three categories of tsunami alerts.

• A Tsunami Advisory is the lowest-level alert, issued for waves below one metre. At this height, people are advised to get out of the sea and leave coastal areas immediately
• A Tsunami Warning is the second-highest alert. These are issued for waves expected to be up to three metres high
• When a warning is issued, the agency says those in tsunami warning areas must evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas and move to higher ground or an evacuation building
• The highest alert is called a Major Tsunami Warning where tsunami waves over three metres in height are expected to hit repeatedly.

Japanese authorities have revised the magnitude of the earthquake which struck earlier to 7.7.

It was initially announced as having a magnitude of 7.5.

The depth at which the quake occurred has also been revised from 10km to 19km (11.8 miles).

Video footage from Hokkaido shows waves swelling close to the shore.

Hokkaido was one of the areas where a tsunami warning was issued, following the earthquake striking off Japan’s northeast coast.

Image source, Reuters

"As soon as we heard the earthquake alert, everyone ran downstairs," Chaw Su Thwe, a Myanmar national living in Hokkaido, tells the BBC. "However, this time the shaking was relatively mild."

She's one of many young people who have moved to Japan from Myanmar for work after the military coup there in 2021.

"Right now, local authorities are using loudspeakers in the neighbourhood to warn people about a possible tsunami and to stay alert. Office workers have been allowed to leave work early," she says.

"At my workplace, the boss has told us to stay cautious and to come to them if anything happens."

Image source, Reuters

Tsunami warnings and advisories for various parts of Japan’s northeastern coast are in place.

Japan has three categories of tsunami alerts, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency., external

A Major Tsunami Warning is for waves considered “huge”. These are issued when waves of 5 to 10m are expected.

A Tsunami Warning is the second-highest alert, issued for waves expected to be around 1 to 3 metres high.

The agency says those in the warning areas must evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas and move to higher ground or an evacuation building.

A tsunami advisory is the lowest-level alert, issued for waves below 1 metre. People are advised to get out of the sea and leave coastal areas immediately when these are issued.

Image source, Getty Images

As we have just reported, several bullet train services in the northeast of Japan have been suspended due to the earthquake, according to transport operators.

A few lines serving the capital, Tokyo, are affected. These include the Tohoku Shinkansen line, the Yamagata Shinkansen line and the Akita Shinkansen.

Image source, Reuters

Japan’s Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara is giving an update and says residents should stay inland until tsunami warnings are lifted.

Around 100 households are without power, he says, and some bullet train services are currently on hold.

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The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning that earthquakes of a similar scale to today's 7.5-magnitude quake could strike over the next week.

Warnings such as these are standard procedure following a major earthquake.

Officials have warned people to keep watch for landslides or similar earthquakes later this week, and that an even bigger tsunami could still hit after the first wave.

Kurumi Mori
Tokyo correspondent

Image source, EPA

Statistically speaking, Japan gets an earthquake with a magnitude seven or above about every 16 months, so that’s just under once a year on average.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the country accounts for more than 10% of all earthquakes with a magnitude of six or higher that occur worldwide.

The most recent major quake was a magnitude 7.6 off Aomori prefecture in December 2025, but the deadliest modern event was the 2011 Tohoku earthquake which was magnitude 9.0, triggering a tsunami, killing more than 18,000 and causing a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima prefecture.

When the tsunami warnings were triggered then, many people didn’t think the tsunami would be so big and didn’t seek high enough ground.

Now, the government issues tsunami warnings and advisories and urges residents to flee the area as soon as possible.

There’s been more education about tsunami waves since 2011 about how even a 30cm wave can be life-threatening.

It has now been confirmed by the Japan Meteorological Agency that a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sanriku at 16:52 (08:52 BST) local time and had a depth of 10km (6.2 miles).

In its news conference, Japan's Meteorological Agency warns that a bigger tsunami may hit after the first wave.

Tsunami warnings in parts of Hokkaido and Iwate prefectures have been issued.

That's all from the briefing.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has just started a news conference.

Officials are warning people to evacuate to higher ground and keep watch for landslides or similar earthquakes later this week.

Stay with us, we’ll bring you more.

Image source, Getty Images

No abnormalities have been reported at the nuclear plants in the prefectures of Aomori and Miyagi, Japanese news site Kyodo reports.

Separately, the operator of the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant says there are no abnormalities there, reports NHK.

Checks are ongoing at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which saw meltdowns in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami along Japan's east coast.

Thousands of residents were evacuated from the area at the time, and it has taken years to deal with the radioactive contamination.

Local media are now reporting that the first tsunami waves are reaching Iwate prefecture, with one wave as high as 40cm recorded in Miyako port.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has forecast tsunami waves of up to 3m (10ft) reaching the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and Iwate prefectures.

A tsunami has been observed about 50km (31 miles) away from the coast of Aomori, a prefecture in the northern part of Japan's main island, the country’s public broadcaster NHK is reporting.

We'll bring you more updates as we get them.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has urged people in quake-affected areas to seek higher ground.

A full list of prefectures issued with tsunami warnings and advisories has been issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency., external

Warnings have been issued for Iwate prefecture, the central part of the Pacific coast for Hokkaido, and the Pacific coast of Aomori Prefecture.

Advisories have been issued for other parts of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures, as well as the Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

More now from the Japanese public broadcaster, NHK.

It reports that authorities are checking the Onagawa nuclear power plant for any abnormalities following the earthquake.