Massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes northern Japan; tsunami warning issued

Tokyo: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The agency also issued a tsunami warning for waves up to three metres (10 feet).

The quake hit at 4:53 pm (0753 GMT) in Pacific waters off northern Iwate prefecture.

The tremor was strong enough to shake large buildings as far as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres away.

On Sunday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck western Indonesia.

A statement from Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said the quake occurred 48 kilometres northwest of the Nias area off Sumatra island, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Earthquakes frequently affect various parts of Indonesia, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet, causing recurrent volcanic and seismic activity.