JAPAN issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations today as severe earthquakes shook the coastline of Ishikawa and neighbouring prefectures on its biggest island, Honshu.

The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4pm, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.

The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Honshu and the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, Hokkaido.

Authorities warned waves could reach 16.5 feet in height and urged residents to flee to high ground or to the tops of buildings.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

Tsunami waves could keep returning, the public broadcaster NHK TV said, and warnings continued to be issued hours after the initial alert as aftershocks continued to rock the region.

Waves over 10 feet high were reported as hitting Niigata and other western prefectures. The earthquake damaged some buildings, sparked a fire in the city of Wajima and cut off electricity for over 30,000 households, but nobody had been confirmed dead when the Morning Star went to press. Japan’s military said it was involved in rescue efforts.

In a nationally broadcast news conference, the Meteorological Agency said that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days. More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.