More than 1.9 million people across Japan have been ordered to evacuate to safer places as tsunami waves hit various parts of the coast and transportation has been disrupted across the country. International media reports that the waves remain much smaller than previously predicted.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has issued local evacuation orders affecting 1,905,596 people in 21 prefectures, with the largest number of evacuees coming from Hokkaido, Kanagawa and Wakayama prefectures.
The first waves hit Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido, where video shared by Reuters and Nippon News Network showed people taking shelter on a roof. Tsunami sirens could be heard wailing in parts of the island on Wednesday morning.
Tsunami waves measuring about 30 to 60 centimeters are being recorded along the east coast, moving closer to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, according to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. This is well below the initial forecast of up to three meters, although this could change and more waves could be coming.
Transport is also being disrupted, with Sendai International Airport, on the Pacific coast north of Tokyo, closing its runway. Ferries travelling from Hokkaido, Aomori and Tokyo Bay have also been suspended.
There are currently no problems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is located just below Sendai, where the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused a severe nuclear accident.
The state-owned Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which oversees the plant, said on Wednesday it had evacuated all personnel to higher ground, with no injuries reported and no abnormalities at the plant. (A2 Televizion)
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