Updated, 21.03

JAPAN’S METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY has raised a tsunami advisory issued earlier this morning after an earthquake off the country’s north-eastern coast this morning.

The 6.9-magnitude quake struck around 150 miles off the coast, at a depth of 16.5 miles, according to data reviewed by the US Geological Survey. It occurred around 100 miles from Japan’s northern Hokkaido island.

The quake struck at 9:07am Irish time, or 6:07pm in Tokyo, which is not itself affected by the tsunami advisory.

The Japanese meteorological agency had issued a tsunami advisory for about 90 minutes, but the warning was raised at 10:40am Irish time. There are no reports yet of any damage or injuries.

The quake comes three days after the first anniversary of last year’s quake off the coast of Sendai, which resulted in a major tsunami causing untold devastation and leaving thousands of people dead.

The epicentre of today’s quake is around 200 miles away from that of last year, and significantly further away from Japan’s Honshu mainland.

Aftershocks of magnitudes of 6.1 and 5.7 were also experienced after the initial quake.