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TOKYO - Japan on Sunday ordered more than 50,000 people to flee vulnerable areas as wailing sirens warned of a tsunami racing towards the country's Pacific coastline following the huge earthquake in Chile.
Waves of up to three metres (10 feet) could hit the northern areas of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned, even as fears of destructive waves eased across the rest of the Pacific.
The agency also issued warnings for waves of up to two metres along the entire Pacific coastline of the Japanese archipelago, from the northern main island of Hokkaido through to the southern Okinawa island chain.
First waves could hit the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and the central Izu region of the main Honshu island at around 1:00 pm (0400 GMT), the agency said as tsunami warnings flashed across all television channels.
Local officials in northern Japan, where public alarm sirens blared across coastal cities and towns, said more than 50,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate, while many regional railway services were halted.
"We instructed some 11,300 people living near the coast to evacuate as quickly as possible from the designated danger zone," said Shigeru Suzuki, a local official in Sendai City in Miyagi.
"We have not witnessed any panic among residents, but we are trying hard to work on a smooth evacuation," the official told AFP.
Masanori Kitamura, an official at Hachinohe in Aomori, where 30,000 people were ordered to leave their homes, said: "Now, our firefighters are patrolling out there to check whether any residents remain near the coast."
At least another 15,000 residents in northern Japan were ordered to evacuate, typically to school buildings and other public facilities.
Saturday's quake in Chile, which killed at least 300 people, revived raw memories for Japan.
In 1960, a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in Chile -- the largest on record -- sent a tsunami hurtling across the Pacific, leaving more than 140 people dead in Japan.
However, construction standards and safety drills have vastly improved and Japan is today a world leader in disaster preparedness.
"Last time (in 1960), waves that hit after the first one became even more powerful," said Yasuo Sekita, a Meteorological Agency official in charge of monitoring earthquakes and tsunamis.
"We believe it will be the case this time, too," he told a news conference. "The agency will keep the tsunami alert for quite a long time."
The agency also warned that the waves could surge higher in northern coastal areas because they are expected around high tide.
Cities in the area were cancelling festivals and a local election and closing fishing ports, while Japan's public broadcaster NHK repeatedly warned local residents not to go near beaches or a river mouth.
"Those living in the area, please help old people living alone, take their hands and go up to a higher place," one NHK reporter urged.
The Japanese government set up an emergency taskforce at the prime minister's office, top spokesman Hirofumi Hirano said.
"Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ordered that the government do its best to ensure the safety of the people," said Hirano, the chief cabinet secretary.
On Saturday, Japan's southern island of Okinawa was hit by a big 7.0 magnitude quake, triggering minor tsunamis but causing only small damage to housing and minor injuries.
In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake in the Tokyo area claimed more than 140,000 lives, many of them in fires. In 1995, a major quake killed some 6,400 people in Kobe and other western Japanese cities.
- AFP/ir
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