Tuesday, November 15 2005 15:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tokyo: An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale shook northern Japan today (Nov 15, 2005), forcing thousands of people to flee their coastal homes as small tsunami waves hit the Pacific coast.

No damage or casualties were reported, but it was the latest strong tremor this year in a nation constantly bracing for a massive earthquake.

Tsunamis measuring up to 50 centimetres brushed the east coast of northern Japan about one hour after the undersea quake hit at 6:39 am (0309 IST), local officials said.

The focus of the shallow quake was located about 350 kilometers off Japan's main Honshu island, the meteorological agency said.

Some of the highest waves were observed in Ofunato, a city in Iwate prefecture in the northern part of Honshu.

"There has not been any report of damage so far," Ofunato disaster prevention official Haruki Ito told sources.

"But we are now asking people to check aquaculture equipment. This is the season for oyster and scallop farming. We may hear of some damage later from some oceanic facilities," he said.

The coastal village of Tanohata in Iwate advised some 900 people to evacuate, village official Masatsugu Kikuchi told public broadcaster NHK by telephone.

"It was not compulsory but hundreds of residents evacuated their homes as a precaution," he said.

The village later allowed people to return home after the meteorological agency lifted the tsunami warning, he said.