A POWERFUL undersea earthquake prompted tsunami warnings yesterday for Japan and Russia but the danger appeared to pass after a series of tiny waves hit the northern Japanese coast.

Japan issued a tsunami alert today and told Pacific coast residents to flee to higher ground after a powerful earthquake hit off sparsely populated islands between northern Japan and the Russian Far East.

Residents along Japan’s Pacific coast were told to flee an impending tsunami after a powerful earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.1 hit the Kuril islands north of Japan today.

A strong earthquake hit northern Japan today, the Meteorological Agency said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido today.

Firefighters on the northern Japan island of Hokkaido battled to contain a blaze at an oil refinery sparked by last week’s earthquake, as powerful aftershocks continued to rumble through the region.

A MAGNITUDE 8 quake rocked Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido yesterday, injuring hundreds, cutting off electricity and water to thousands, igniting a spectacular oil-tank blaze and collapsing part of an airport roof.

A massive earthquake rocked Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido today, injuring hundreds but amazingly only two people were feared to have died.

More than 40,000 people were fleeing their homes today after Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido was rocked by the strongest earthquake to hit anywhere in the world this year.

A strong quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 rocked Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido today, knocking out power, reportedly derailing a train and staring an industrial fire.

Japan’s last coal mine shut down today, putting 1,000 miners out of work and marking the end of an industry that literally helped fuel the country’s miraculous post-Second World War recovery.