Telegraph reporter Julian Ryall describes how buildings shook for more than a minute as an earthquake struck Japan's east coast.

A tsunami measuring slightly over 3 feet high hit the Ayukawa district of Ishinomaki at 6.02 pm local time, although there were no immediate reports of injuries. More tsunami warnings were in force for the rest of Miyagi Prefecture, as well as Aomori, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures.

Warnings had been issued on television and radio channels immediately after the magniude 7.3 quake struck at 5.18 pm and residents of coastal regions and low-lying areas had been ordered to evacuate to higher ground.

The quake was the most severe since much of north-east Japan was devastated by the magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, 2012, and inevitably caused concern among local residents.

Train services across much of north-east Japan were suspended for safety checks while aircraft scheduled to land at Sendai Airport - which was severely damaged and flooded after the last earthquake - were diverted to alternative airports.

The operators of the Fukushima nuclear plant reported that the quake had no impact on efforts to bring the crippled reactors under control. It was reported that emergency teams working at the reactors were temporarily evacuated from the site. .