A significant earthquake has struck just off the northern coast of Japan, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning.

Registering a magnitude of 7.2, the earthquake occurred at 11:15 p.m. on Monday (1:15 a.m. Tuesday AEDT), approximately 70 kilometers off the coast of Hokkaido near the city of Aomori. The quake’s epicenter was located about 50 kilometers beneath the sea surface.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency has warned that the resulting tsunami could reach heights of nearly three meters along parts of the coast.

Regions such as Iwate, Aomori, and sections of Hokkaido are at risk of impact. As of 2 a.m. AEDT, a tsunami measuring 40 centimeters had already been detected in Aomori, according to the agency.

In Tokyo, a CNN team experienced prolonged and intense shaking that lasted more than 30 seconds during the earthquake.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that several individuals sustained injuries at a hotel in Hachinohe, a town in Aomori.

Minoru Kihara, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, urged people in affected areas to evacuate to higher ground or move to safe buildings, such as evacuation shelters.

There have been no reports of “abnormalities at this time” at the country’s Higashidōri and Onagawa nuclear power plants, Kihara said.

“We have received reports that other nuclear facilities are currently being checked,” he added.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a brief comment to reporters, said the government had set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage.

“We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

Japan’s timezone is two hours behind AEDT. Given the quake struck in the middle of the night, it could be slow for information to emerge about what impacts have been felt.

– Reported with Associated Press and CNN