re: Japan Earthquake 7.3 Magnitude | Tsunami watch Thread

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The Japan Meteorological Agency put the earthquake at magnitude 7.3 and issued a tsunami warning for Fukushima Prefecture and urged immediate evacuations. It said tsunamis were expected to arrive "imminently" in the region.

Tsunami advisories were issued for a wide area of Japan's Pacific coast, including Miyagi and Iba prefectures.

Reports of damage from the quake weren't immediately available. But a 3-meter (10-foot) tsunami was expected at any moment, the national broadcaster NHK said on air report.

"Please evacuate right now," it said. "Don't stop. Don't try to go back."

The expected tsunami was expected to cause extra damage on top of any from the earthquake, the Japan weather agency said.

The U.S. Geological Survey revised its rating to magnitude 6.9. Both agencies said the quake was recorded at 6 a.m. Tuesday (4 p.m. ET Monday) at a depth of only 6.2 miles; shallow quakes generally cause more destruction because they're so close to the surface.

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