Tokyo: A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off Misawa on Japan's Pacific coast at 1415 GMT ((7:45 PM IST) Monday, at a depth of 53 kilometres (33 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey.

Japan's Meteorological Agency recorded two 40-centimetre (16-inch) tsunami waves: the first hitting Aomori port at 11:43 (8:13 PM IST), followed by another at 11:50 (8:20 PM IST) pm in Hokkaido's Urakawa town.

Public broadcaster NHK reported injuries in Hachinohe, Aomori, citing a hotel employee, with live footage showing shattered glass strewn across roads. The quake was felt strongly in Sapporo, where smartphone alarms activated, and an NHK reporter in Hokkaido described 30 seconds of intense horizontal shaking that prevented him from standing.

The agency had initially warned of tsunamis up to three metres (10 feet) along Japan's Pacific coast.

Japan, situated on four major tectonic plates in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," experiences around 1,500 earthquakes annually, though most are mild, with damage varying by location and depth.

With inputs from AFP