Japan issues tsunami advisory after 8.7 magnitude earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula

Japan’s meteorological agency said on Wednesday that a powerful earthquake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and issued a tsunami advisory for Japan.

The agency said the quake occurred at 8:25 a.m. and registered a preliminary magnitude of 8.0. It issued an advisory for a tsunami of up to 1 yard along the Pacific coast of Japan. A tsunami advisory was also issued for the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, and a tsunami watch was issued for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and Hawaii, the U.S. National Weather Service said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometers. The USGC later adjusted the quake’s strength to 8.7 magnitude.

So far, no damage has been reported.

The quake was about 160 miles away from Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost of the country’s four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan’s NHK television.

According to Japan’s tsunami advisory, which is a lower-level warning than a tsunami alert, a first wave of tsunami was expected in eastern Hokkaido around an hour and half after the quake. The government said it set up a taskforce for information gathering and response in case of any emergency.

A University of Tokyo seismologist, Shinichi Sakai, told NHK that a distant earthquake could cause a tsunami that affects Japan if its epicenter is shallow.

Japan, part of the area known as the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world’s most quake-prone country. It’s Russia’s second major earthquake this month that occurred in the same peninsula.

Over a week ago, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. And earlier this month, a tsunami advisory for Alaska‘s southern peninsula was issued after a major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit the Aleutian Islands area.

On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.