A series of powerful earthquakes struck central Japan on Monday, causing significant damage to homes, closing highways, and triggering tsunami waves over a meter high. The most impactful quake, measuring 7.5 magnitude, struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around 4:10 pm (0710 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported a sequence of 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or stronger in just over 90 minutes.

Tsunami waves, reaching as high as 1.2 meters (four feet), hit Wajima port in Ishikawa prefecture at 4:21 pm (0721 GMT), approximately 10 minutes after the strongest quake, as reported by the JMA. Urgent evacuation orders were issued, with national broadcaster NHK urging all residents to move immediately to higher ground.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, cautioned of hazardous tsunami waves within 300 kilometers (190 miles) of the earthquake's epicenter along the Sea of Japan coast on Honshu, Japan's main island. The JMA anticipated a more substantial tsunami, approximately five meters high, to reach Noto in the same region.

The Japanese government is currently assessing the extent of the damage and any potential casualties resulting from the earthquakes. Reports indicate that around 33,500 households in Toyama, Ishikawa, and Niigata prefectures, near the epicenter, are without power.

Television footage displayed a building on fire in Wajima city, Ishikawa, and eyewitnesses in central Tokyo reported feeling strong tremors. Social media videos showed wooden houses toppled, with walls and roofs collapsing in the Matsunami district of Noto.

"This is the Matsunami district of Noto. We are in a horrible situation. Please come and help us. My town is in a horrible situation," pleaded a distressed individual in a video posted online.

As a precautionary measure, Sakhalin island and Vladivostok in Russia's far east were placed on alert due to the potential tsunami risk following the earthquakes in Japan. The situation is evolving, and rescue and relief efforts are underway as authorities work to address the aftermath of the earthquakes and the ensuing tsunami waves. Further updates on the extent of the damage and any casualties are anticipated.