US cancels tsunami warnings

They initially came after a massive 8.3-magnitude quake near Japan in the Pacific ocean.

Japan map
Waves were expected to hit the coasts of Japan's northern island Hokkaido and the main island Honshu

Earlier, Japan has issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to head to higher ground after a massive 8.3-magnitude quake in the Pacific ocean.

 

Waves as high as one metre were expected to reach the coast of northern Hokkaido around 2pm (0:500 GMT) on Saturday and also to hit the Pacific coast on the main island of Honshu, Japan’s meteorological agency had said.

 

The quake, in the northwestern Pacific, at 04:24 GMT, was felt in Hokkaido, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

 

The agency urged residents to head to higher ground, a warning passed on by local authorities as well as Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), the national network

 

NHK broadcast live footage from various ports in Hokkaido, Japan‘s northernmost island, but no major waves had been observed by early afternoon.

 

Japan experiences 20 per cent of the world’s major earthquakes, frequently jolting its cities.

 

Source: News Agencies