Evacuations ordered after major quake off Japan’s coast

TOKYO — Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to flee to higher ground on Tuesday after a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture.

The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted a tsunami warning for its northeastern coast nearly four hours after the quake was reported. A tsunami advisory for waves of up to 3 feet remained in place for much of the Pacific coast. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

Tsunamis of up to 3 feet were recorded about an hour after the 6 a.m. earthquake, and the tsunami warning area was widened later in the morning.

Fukushima prefecture is home to the nuclear power plant that was destroyed by a huge tsunami following a 2011 earthquake.

The operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant said there were no abnormalities observed at the plant, though a swelling of the tide of up to 3 feet has been detected offshore.

Plant operator TEPCO said a pump that supplies cooling water to a spent fuel pool at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ni plant stopped temporarily, but that it was working again. The Tokyo-based utility is investigating the cause.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.9. The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 150 miles southwest of the epicenter.

The meteorological agency said the quake struck at a depth of 6 miles. It revised the magnitude from an initial reading of 7.3.

NHK urged people to evacuate immediately, reminding them of the devastating 2011 quake that killed about 18,000 people.