7.3 Earthquake Rocks Japan, Explosions Light Up the Nights Sky from Miles Away

Tokyo — A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted eastern Japan late Wednesday night, shaking capital Tokyo and prompting a brief tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast — including the area devastated by a much larger quake in 2011.

Not long after the quake struck at 11:36 p.m. an advisory for tsunami waves of about three feet was issued for parts of the northeast coast. The earthquake was centered off the coast of the Fukushima region, at a depth of about 40 miles.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said there was no longer a tsunami threat, though the Japan Meteorological Agency kept its low risk advisory in place. NHK national television said tsunami waves of 8 inches had already reached shore in one area.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the utility company that covers most of the Tokyo region, said on its website that more than 2 million homes were without electricity due to the quake.

Videos posted online showed people's homes shaking in the capital. YouTube video creator John Daub posted one clip of his home office rattling.