TOKYO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Multiple cases of damage and injuries have been reported after strong earthquakes rocked Japan's western coast on Monday amidst the country's New Year celebrations, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in several prefectures. The series of strong earthquakes with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude have been hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan since Monday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
According to the JMA, among the quakes, the major temblor occurred at 4:10 p.m. local time (0710 GMT) at a shallow depth, registering a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. The JMA has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
