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FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the east coast of Japan early Tuesday in the same area a quake-induced tsunami killed more than 15,000 people five years ago. The quake, measured at a magnitude of 6.9 by the U.S. Geological Survey, hit off the coast about 20 miles southeast of the town of Namie at about 6 a.m. Tuesday.
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The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 7.4.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning for Aomore, Iwate, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures -- warning of waves possibly 10 feet tall.
The region was devastated by a earthquake-induced tsunami in 2011 that killed more than 15,000 people and damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Authorities encouraged residents in the immediate danger zone to evacuate.
"I have ordered my government to immediately collect and provide information regarding tsunami evacuations and do everything to tackle the disaster,"Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in Argentina, where he was attending a summit Monday.
NBC News reported that rumbling and shaking could be felt 150 miles away in Tokyo.
Possible damage or injuries weren't immediately clear.
The USGS recorded two aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.3 and 4.8.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an advisory there was no tsunami danger for the U.S. West Coast or Hawaii.
Tectonic activity that produces earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is common in Japan and other nations in the Pacific Rim, which is commonly referred to as the "Ring of Fire."
