A major tsunami warning has been issued for Japan after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake.

Residents in the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa prefecture were asked to evacuate immediately to higher ground.

The tsunami waves have reached the coast in Ishikawa prefecture – but authorities have warned of waves as high as 16ft.

It’s the first time a major tsunami warning has been issued since the 2011 earthquake in Japan.

Reuters reports that Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.