There's been a 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the North Central coast of Japan, near the same location of the 9.0-magnitude temblor on March 11 that set off a tsunami that pummeled cities along the coast, leaving thousands dead or missing.
That's the greatest magnitude of any quake in the area since that March 11 disaster.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has a issued tsunami warning— and says the wave's height could be about 2 meters — for part of the coast. A tsunami advisory has been issued for parts of the coast further from the epicenter. They should expect a wave about half a meter in height.
Update at 11:03 a.m. ET: The Japan Meteorological Agency's tsunami warning — which puts the tsunami height at up to 2 meters — is for the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. The lesser "tsunami advisories" cover Iwate, Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
Update at 11:01 a.m. ET: From Tokyo, NPR's Greg Dixon reports that the shaking lasted for about 2 minutes. Japan's NHK is urging anyone along the coast in the region near the epicenter to head for higher ground, Greg adds.
