Tourists in Japan urged to be vigilant amid ‘megaquake’ alert

 A “megaquake’ alert has been put in place for Japan after a tsunami warning was lifted.

A 7.7 magnitude quake struck northeastern and northern Japan yesterday (Monday), triggering an evacuation order and warnings of 10ft tsunami waves.

Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 330 miles north of Tokyo.

Tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted hours after the quake on Monday.

However, the Foreign Office updated its travel advice to say that the Japanese Meteorological Agency has issued a “precautionary megaquake alert”, meaning there is an increased risk of strong earthquakes occurring in the coming week.

“Residents and tourists in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba should remain vigilant and follow guidance from local authorities,” the advisory noted.

Tsunami alerts remained in place hours after the quake struck at 4:52pm local time in the northern region of Hokkaido.