(Update)Tsunami Hits Japan's Pacific Coast Regions

Tokyo, Feb. 28 (Jiji Press)--A tsunami unleashed by an
8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile reached Japan's Pacific coast on Sunday
afternoon, with waves measuring 1.2 meters or higher were observed in the
northeastern and southwestern regions. No human damage has been reported so
far.
About 650,000 households in 20 prefectures were ordered or advised
to evacuate by municipal authorities.
The first tsunami from the quake, a tiny wave of 10 centimeters,
hit remote islands off Japan at 12:43 p.m. (3:43 a.m. GMT). Between 2 p.m.
and 5 p.m., waves of 10 to 90 centimeters hit the Pacific coast from the
northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido to the Shikoku southwestern region
and island territories, according to the Meteorological Agency.
At 3:49 p.m., a wave of 1.2 meters washed ashore in Kuji port of
Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The tsunami also raised the
water level to 1.2 meters at Susaki port of Koichi Prefecture in the Shikoku
region at 7:28 p.m., the agency said.
But some local municipalities reported higher tsunamis waves.
Officials of Otsuchi said a tidegauge at the Iwate town's fishing port
recorded a water wall of 1.45 meters. In Minamisanriku, a town of anther
northeastern prefecture of Miyagi, a tidal wave of 1.3 meters was logged.
In Hanasaki port of Nemuro, Hokkaido, a wave reached warehouses,
while in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, a fish market and roads were briefly
flooded. Some quay sides of Shiogama port of Miyagi and Miyako port of Iwate
were also covered by water, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Earlier in the day, the agency warned that tsunami waves of up to 3
meters could hit the Pacific coastal areas of three northeastern Japan
prefectures--Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi.
A warning of major tsunami was issued for the first time in Japan
in 16 and half years.
The last such warning was issued in July 1993 after an earthquake
hit off the southwestern part of Hokkaido. A total of 230 people died or
went missing due to a tsunami caused by the quake.
The agency lowered the highest-level alert at around 7 p.m. and
lifted past 9 a.m. warnings in some coastal regions of eastern Hokkaido and
Aomori as well as Aomori's Mutsu Bay.
At a news conference on late Sunday afternoon, Yasuo Sekita,
director of the agency's Earthquake and Tsunami Observations Division, said
the possibility of a 3-meter tsunami hitting Japan has become low.
But a big wave tends to come after the first one, he said, advising
anyone living in a Pacific coastal region should never come close to the
shore until a warning there has been lifted.
After tsunami warnings were issued, Japan Railways Group companies
canceled many train runs on Pacific coastal lines. Railways in the Tohoku
northeastern region were affected most severely, with operations on some
portions being suspended for the rest of the day.
In the densely populated eastern and central regions, a total of
892 runs were canceled, affecting 224,000 users. Shinkansen super express
lines operated normally, according to JR East.
Among expressways, three portions, including the Fuji-Shimizu
section on Tomei Expressway, were briefly closed.