The earthquake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time and was centered off the coast of Aomori prefecture, located on the northern tip of Japan's main island, Honshu. Multiple prefectures across northern Japan were under tsunami warnings,

Animation shows 7.6 magnitude earthquake striking Japan's coast, triggering tsunami warning

The magnitude 7.0 quake, roughly 230 miles northeast of Alaska's capital of Juneau, was estimated to be 6.2 miles deep.

Japan has protested after Chinese fighter jets locked radars on Japanese aircraft as tensions between the two nations worsened.

A Chinese carrier strike group launched intense air operations near Japan over the weekend as the East Asian neighbours traded diplomatic barbs in an escalating dispute, further straining ties.