Japan has urged residents to "evacuate immediately" after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region.
A major tsunami warning was issued for the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa, warning of waves as high as 5m.
Authorities also issued tsunami warnings for the neighbouring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, where they said waves could reach 3m.
Public television flashed "EVACUATE" in big letters, urging residents to flee to higher ground despite the cold.
An NHK presenter urged affected viewers: "We realise your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else. Run to the highest ground possible."
People have also posted videos of their homes and subway trains shaking during the earthquake.
A series of quakes hit the Noto region in the afternoon, starting with a 5.7 magnitude tremor at 16:06 local time (07:06 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. This was followed by the 7.6-magnitude quake and at least five more tremors within an hour.
Japan's government spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has warned residents to prepare for further quakes.
The country's largest nuclear power operator, Kansai Electric, said there had been "no abnormality" in nuclear plants in the affected area.
South Korea's meteorological agency has warned that tsunami waves up to 0.3m could hit the eastern coast of the country between 18:29 to 19:17 local time.
Russia has issued tsunami warnings in the far eastern port cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka, its state news agency TASS reported.
In 2011, Japan was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a resulting tsunami which tore through its north-eastern coastal communities, killing almost 18,000 people and displacing tens of thousands. The tsunami triggered a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant, causing the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
