A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has rocked the northern Japan, briefly disrupting cooling functions at a nuclear plant and generating a tsunami. The earthquake, was felt in Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Service said that it is centred off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of about 10 km. There are no reports of deaths or serious injuries even after several hours that the quake has hit at 5:59 a.m. (2059 GMT Monday).

A tsunami of up to 1.4 metres had been observed around the Sendai, at about 70 km north of Fukushima, with smaller waves hitting ports along the coast, public broadcaster NHK had said.

"We saw high waves but nothing that went over the tidal barriers," a man in the city of Iwaki said to NTV television network. "Sea level fluctuations may continue along some coasts of Japan over the next few hours," it said.

The first tsunami waves had hit at about one hour after the earthquake. The highest wave with 1.4 meters has reached Sendai Bay at about two hours after the quake. Hours later, the Japanese government has lifted its tsunami warning.  “The tsunami advisory has been lifted,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement released at 12:50 pm (0350 GMT) on its website.

By Premji