TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan issued a tsunami advisory for Iwate prefecture in the north of the country on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK said, asking residents to stay away from coastal areas.

A tsunami was observed 70 km (45 miles) off the coast of Iwate Prefecture at 5:12 p.m. (0812 GMT) and was expected to reach the Pacific coastline soon, NHK said. The wave was expected to be about 1 metre (3 feet, 3 inches), it said.

There were no abnormalities at the Onagawa nuclear power plant operated by Tohoku Electric Power Co, NHK said.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.26 earlier struck off the east coast of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, which includes Iwate, according to the U.S. tsunami warning system.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by William Mallard)

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