Total of 21 quakes above 4.0 magnitude hit Japan
Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate coastal areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline Monday. The Japan Meterological Agency reported quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 pm, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 metres (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible. Tokyo-based journalist James Simms reports.