An earthquake rocked a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast Monday, with a tsunami warning issued for the central prefecture of Ishikawa.

The quake, which also shook buildings in central Tokyo, occurred around 4.10pm, registering a maximum of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa.

The epicentre was in the Noto region.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for the coastal areas of Yamagata, Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, and Hyogo prefectures.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged people living in regions under a tsunami warning to "evacuate immediately."

There were six cases of people being buried alive due to collapsed houses.

Many houses collapsed in parts of Ishikawa, with approximately 32,500 homes in the prefecture losing power.

A tsunami with a height of 1 metre 20 centimetres reached the coast of Wajima City in Ishikawa prefecture, according to the broadcaster NHK.  A 5-metre tsunami is expected to hit the coast of Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, it said.

North Korea issued tsunami warnings for its east coast after the massive quake, saying waves of up to 2.08 metres could reach its shore.

South Korea’s eastern Gangwon province warned residents near the coast to evacuate to higher ground.