Japan has been hit by a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake, but a tsunami alert issued for the country has now been lifted.
A tsunami measuring slightly over 3 feet high hit the Ayukawa district of Ishinomaki at 6.02 pm local time, although there were no immediate reports of injuries. More tsunami warnings were in force for the rest of Miyagi Prefecture, as well as Aomori, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures.
Warnings had been issued on television and radio channels immediately after the magniude 7.3 quake struck at 5.18 pm and residents of coastal regions and low-lying areas had been ordered to evacuate to higher ground.
The quake was the most severe since much of north-east Japan was devastated by the magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, 2012, and inevitably caused concern among local residents.
Train services across much of north-east Japan were suspended for safety checks while aircraft scheduled to land at Sendai Airport - which was severely damaged and flooded after the last earthquake - were diverted to alternative airports.
The operators of the Fukushima nuclear plant reported that the quake had no impact on efforts to bring the crippled reactors under control. It was reported that emergency teams working at the reactors were temporarily evacuated from the site.
The epicentre of the quake was located about 150 miles south-east of the town of Kamaishi, in Iwate Prefecture, and the US Geological Survey put the depth of the quake at a relatively shallow 22 miles below the surface.
Residents of at least one town, Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture, were advised to get to safety, with reports suggesting other towns were also affected.
"We are now calling on people to evacuate to higher ground," town official Ryuichi Omori told AFP:
"It's already pitch dark here. Calls phones - both landlines and mobiles - are not going through now, which makes it difficult to see people's movement.
"The quake was not so big although it felt very (strong). It was not big at all compared with last year's earthquake. The town office is now setting up a disaster taskforce."
Japanese people were posting photos of their TV screens with tsunami warnings on Facebook, asking each other whether they're safe, confirming their whereabouts.
"It shook for a long time here in Tokyo, are you guys all all right?" posted Eriko Hamada, enquiring about the safety of her friends.
Phone lines were overloaded and it was difficult to contact residents of Miyagi.
"Owing to the recent earthquake, phone lines are very busy, please try again later," the phone operator said.
The Pacific tsunami warning centre said there was no risk of a widespread tsunami from the quake.
In September, police and volunteers began searching once again for the remains of the 2,184 people still missing after the 2011 quake.
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