Tsunami Advisories Issued Briefly for Northern Japan

Tokyo, Dec. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan issued tsunami advisories for the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures from northern to northeastern Japan after another offshore earthquake shook the regions late Friday morning.

All the advisories were lifted at 2:05 p.m. after minor tsunami waves were observed in some municipalities, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Around 11:44 a.m., a quake with an estimated magnitude of 6.9 occurred off Aomori, logging 4 on Japan's seismic intensity scale in 38 municipalities in five prefectures, including Hokkaido's Hakodate, Aomori's Hachinohe and Iwate's Morioka. The intensity is the sixth-highest level on the 10-point scale.

In Hokkaido, a 20-centimeter tsunami was observed at 12:35 p.m. in the town of Erimo. Tsunami waves reached up to 20 centimeters also at a port in Hachinohe.

The quake's focus, estimated to be 17 kilometers deep, was just east of that of Monday's 7.5-magnitude temblor, which shook Aomori, Hokkaido and other prefectures and triggered tsunami waves. Friday's quake occurred at a point between the oceanic and continental plates, as with the Monday quake.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]