Large waves hit Hokkaido coastline as Japan issues tsunami evacuation order

Huge waves were seen reaching the coastline of Hokkaido in Japan on Wednesday (July 30) after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

Much of Japan's eastern seaboard — devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was ordered to evacuate.

Japan's weather agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet) to reach large areas of its coast.

Tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan's Pacific coast with authorities urging people to seek higher ground.

Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.