No tsunami expected in B.C. after 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits Japan

Researchers said a tsunami was not expected to reach British Columbia after a major earthquake struck Japan on Wednesday.

The powerful 7.3-magnitude quake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan at 11:36 p.m. local time (7:36 a.m. PDT), triggering a local tsunami advisory and plunging more than two million homes in the Tokyo area into darkness.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck 60 kilometres below the sea. The agency issued a tsunami advisory for up to a one-metre sea surge in parts of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center tweeted just before 8 a.m. (PDT) Wednesday that the tsunami was not expected to reach B.C., Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington state.

Natural Resources Canada earthquake seismologist John Cassidy said the first seismic waves from the quake took about 11 minutes to reach southern Vancouver Island.

"This was a very large earthquake. It was felt across much of Japan, felt in Tokyo, very strong shaking," Cassidy told CTV News Wednesday morning in Victoria.

"It's important for those of us here on the west coast of Canada because we live in exactly the same kind of tectonic setting as Japan where an ocean plate is being pushed beneath us," Cassidy said.

"As earthquake scientists, it's important that we learn from these large earthquakes around the world in similar types of tectonic settings, what to expect in terms of ground shaking and impacts and landslides," he said.

"So there will be a lot of work looking at this event and what happened before the earthquake, during the earthquake and especially after the earthquake."

Fukushima is a part of Japan that was devastated by a deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami 11 years ago that also caused nuclear plant meltdowns.

Wednesday's quake came only days after the area marked the 11th anniversary of the disaster in March 2011.

The quake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including Tokyo, where buildings shook violently.

NHK television said there were reports of fire, damage to buildings and falling rocks in Fukushima. There was no word on any casualties.

With files from The Associated Press