TOKYO: A powerful earthquake struck off the northern Japanese coast, and the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami alert in the region.

The quake, registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 pm (0753 GMT), at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles) below the sea surface, the agency said.

Japan's NHK public television said a tsunami of up to 3 metres (10 feet) could hit the area shortly.