Japanese authorities have issued a tsunami warning after a 6.8 earthquake hit the north-west of the country.
According to reports, tremors were felt on the west coast of Honshu, around 30 miles south of the city of Sakata. An alert was put into effect immediately.
No casualties have been reported as yet.
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It's understood that the quake was fairly shallow and struck 10km below the surface. However, it's said that shallow tremors can cause more damage to the Earth's surface.
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued the 0.2 to 1.0 metre (3.3 ft) tsunami warning. It read: "A marine threat is present. Get out of the water and leave coastal regions immediately.
"Due to the risk of ongoing strong currents, do not enter the sea or approach coastal regions until the advisory is lifted.
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"Slight sea-level changes may be observed in coastal regions, but no tsunami damage is expected."
Footage from the moment the quake hit shows surveillance cameras on buildings in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures shaking from the tremors.
And according to reports NHK, telephone lines in some of the hardest hit ares have been affected.
And all seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata were reported off line and there were no abnormalities.
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The US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that the warning had not been extended to Hawaii and Guam.
In a statement, the group said: "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 occurred near the west coast of Honshu, Japan at 10.22pm CHST (2.22pm BST) on Tuesday June 18.
"Based on all available data there is no tsunami threat to Guam, Rota, Tinian or Saipan from this earthquake. No action is required."
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This is, of course, not the first time Japan has been hit by an earthquake. In March 2011, a 9.0 quake struck the north-east coast, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at Fukushima power plant.
Over the weekend, the New Zealand government issued a tsunami warning after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Kermadec Islands
The country's Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management put out a beach warning, urging residents to be cautious and to expect a strong and unpredictable current near the shoreline.
Featured Image Credit: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us600042fx/mapTopics: World News, Interesting, Japan