Japan Cancels all Tsunami Warnings After Powerful Earthquake

Japanese meteorological officials have canceled all tsunami warnings after a powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake caused only minor waves in parts of the country.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says a 40-centimeter wave hit Chichi island, east of the Okinawa island chain. Small waves of around 10 centimeters also hit Nemuro and several other areas in northeastern Japan. No damage has been reported in any areas.

The 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit Saturday afternoon east of the Kuril Islands, at 1:24 local time (0424 UTC). Nearly nine hours later, all warnings that were issued throughout the country's northern region and eastern shoreline were lifted.

The agency had earlier said waves as high as one meter could hit the northeastern coast of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

The United States has also canceled tsunami warnings and watches issued earlier for various locations around the Pacific Ocean. Those regions include Russia, the Marcus Islands, Taiwan, Canada, Indonesia, the U.S. island of Guam and the states of Hawaii and Alaska.

There are no immediate reports of injuries from the earthquake.

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