A massive 8.9-magnitude quake has hit northeast Japan, causing a four-metre tsunami along parts of the country's
coastline.
Japan's NHK television reported many injuries and showed pictures of major tsunami damage in the north, with cars, trucks and houses being swept away in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture following the quake on Friday.
Police said at least one person was killed in a house collapse in Ibaraki prefecture, just northeast of Tokyo and there were reports of at least one death in Fukushima prefecture,
A 10-metre tsunami hit Sendai airport in the north-east. Television footage showed people standing on the roof of the terminal building.
The tsunami roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing cars, houses and farm equipment inland before reversing directions and carrying them out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas
pipes.
Military airplanes were flying over the worst-affected areas to assess the need for rescue efforts and an emergency cabinet meeting was held.
The prime minister said in a televised address that the government was making "every effort possible" to minimise damage. He said activity at some of the country's nuclear plants had been automatically halted and the facilities were declared safe.
"This is a rare major quake, and damages could quickly rise by the minute," Junichi Sawada, an official with Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency, said.
Many people were reported injured after a roof caved in during a school graduation ceremony at a hall in east Tokyo, the fire department in the capital said, after the quake hit.
Yukiko Shimahara, a Japanese journalist, told Al Jazeera that the airports and trains in Tokyo have been shut down following the quake.
Meanwhile, a huge fire engulfed an oil refinery in Iichihara near Tokyo, where four million homes were said to be without electricity. Plumes of smoke rose from at least 10 locations in city.
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