Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, Jan 1, 2024, following an earthquake. Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan. (KYODO NEWS VIA AP)

TOKYO/SEOUL/VLADIVOSTOK - Multiple roads and houses in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture were damaged after strong earthquakes struck the country's western coast on Monday, authorities said.

A series of strong earthquakes with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude have been hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan since Monday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

East Japan Railway Company suspended all Shinkansen services on the Joetsu and Hokuriku lines throughout Ishikawa Prefecture

Reports from local authorities and firefighting departments said multiple houses collapsed in Noto region and Hakui city in Ishikawa prefecture.

Approximately 32,500 households experienced power outage across Ishikawa prefecture, said local authorities.

In Ishikawa's Kanazawa city, video footages taken by passengers showed rocking temblors experienced on a local train platform and train coaches.

Some buildings in the Noto region caught fire, according to latest local media reports.

In Shijika city, Niigata prefecture, an 80-year-old woman suffered a head injury after falling during the evacuation.

The torii gate of a shrine in Kanazawa collapsed due to the earthquakes, with no injuries reported in the surrounding area, according to the national news agency Kyodo.  

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A torii gate is damaged after an earthquake at a shrine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, Jan 1, 2024. Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes in the Sea of Japan. (KYODO NEWS VIA AP)

East Japan Railway Company suspended all Shinkansen services on the Joetsu and Hokuriku lines throughout Ishikawa prefecture. There is currently no prospect for resumption of operations, according to sources.

Earlier in the day, the JMA issued tsunami warnings for a broad swath of the western coast, including Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata and other prefectures, following the strong earthquakes.

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Ishikawa, where the epicenter of the major quake was located, observed tsunami waves of more than 1.2 meters at 4:21 pm local time, and Toyama prefecture reported tsunami waves of 50 centimeters at 4:23 pm local time, local media reports said.

Torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters and authorities had urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible, according to the public broadcaster NHK.

According to the JMA, among the quakes, the major temblor occurred at 4:10 pm local time (0710 GMT) at a shallow depth, registering a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. It also shook buildings in central Tokyo.

A tsunami warning is shown on TV in Yokohama, near Tokyo on Jan 1, 2024. (PHOTO / AP）

Meanwhile, the tsunami would affect a part of South Korea's eastern coast, the South Korean weather agency said Monday.

The tsunami was expected to arrive in South Korea's eastern coastal cities, including Gangneung at about 6:29 pm local time (0929 GMT), Yangyang at about 6:32 pm, Goseong at about 6:48 pm, and Pohang at around 7:17 pm, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The tsunami height was estimated at between 0.2 meters and 0.3 meters when it reaches the coastal cities.

The KMA said a part of the coast in the eastern Gangwon province would see higher sea level due to the earthquake and tsunami from Japan, noting that the tsunami height could be higher than estimated when it arrives in the coast.

Besides, several regions in Russia's Far East were also on tsunami alert on Monday.