Japan issues tsunami advisory after 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit northwest of country

Japan issued a tsunami advisory tonight after a strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the northwest of the country. A wave of one metre is expected to hit the coast of the Sea of Japan, north of Tokyo, the nation's meteorological agency said. 

Officials immediately stopped bullet train services in the region as a precautionary measure, according to public broadcaster NHK. Around 200 households were also reportedly without power. The



meteorological agency said some waves were expected to have already reached some coastlines of Yamagata and Niigata, in Japan's northwest.

NHK said no abnormality was monitored at nuclear power plants near the epicentre. The quake registered six on the Japanese scale, which goes up to seven. The central government has also set up a task force on the quake and is gathering more information, according to NHK.