Parts of Sakhalin island's western shore, as well as the mainland Primorsk and Khabarovsk areas, which are near to Japan on Russia's Pacific coast, are under threat of a tsunami, stated Russian news agency TASS, citing authorities, Reuters reported. On Monday, a huge earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 rocked central Japan, causing a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for inhabitants.
According to Russian media, officials in the Primorsk region port city of Vladivostok have advised anybody sailing in local seas to "urgently return to the shore."
According to TASS, authorities in the Sakhalin and Khabarovsk areas said the wave would not be life-threatening.
It also cited Russia's emergency ministry as contradicting prior allegations that the population of at-risk locations of Sakhalin was being evacuated.
Residents Needs To Stay Alert, Says Japan PM Kishida
Meanwhile, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the administration is examining the damage and that inhabitants should brace themselves for further shocks. "Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible," Kishida said.
NHK showed video of a building collapsing into a cloud of dust in Suzu, a seaside city, while citizens in Kanazawa City took shelter under tables during the earthquakes. Furthermore, the earthquake caused buildings on the other shore, Tokyo, to wobble.
Hokuriku Electric electricity said that approximately 36,000 homes in the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama have lost electricity.
High-speed train services to Ishikawa have been suspended, while telecommunications behemoths Softbank and KDDI have reported delays in phone and internet services in Ishikawa and Niigata on their respective websites.
In reaction to the earthquake, Japanese airline ANA decided to divert four planes in way to airports in Toyama and Ishikawa, while Japan Airlines decided to cancel the bulk of flights to the Niigata and Ishikawa areas for the rest of the day.