Tsunami alerts lifted after quake

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TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Tsunami alerts issued after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Japan's northern coast have been lifted, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

However, Japan's Meteorological Agency, on its Web site, showed watches were still in effect for most of the eastern Pacific coast of Hokkaido.

Residents along Japan's Pacific coast had been told to flee the tsunami after the quake hit Wednesday at 8:14 p.m. (1114 GMT) deep under the Pacific Ocean about 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Tokyo. (How earthquakes are measured)

A wave measuring about 40 centimenters (16 inches) did wash up on some eastern Pacific coastal areas of Japan, officials there said, but nothing like the wave of almost 2 meters (about 6 feet) that had been predicted as a possibility.

Across the Pacific, all tsunami warnings and watches were canceled for the islands of Hawaii, as well as where they had been issued for the coastline of part of Washington state, British Columbia and Alaska, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The tsunami warning had been issued for eastern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. ( How the tsunami alert system works)

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," the NOAA said. (Watch as tsunami warning issued for Japan -- 2:50)

According to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, a division of the NOAA, a tsunami warning was issued for the Alaska coastal areas from Sand Point to Attu.

A tsunami watch was also issued for British Columbia and parts of Washington state. ( Read where tsunami warnings were issued after the quake)

"A tsunami warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground," NOAA said.

About 30,000 people live in the Kuril islands, which is located 1100 kilometers north of mainland Japan.

Keiichi Kimura, a Hokkaido Prefectural (state) police officer, told The Associated Press there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the earthquake.

Railway officials on Hokkaido stopped trains at nearby stations as a precautionary step, Japan's primary public broadcasting source NHK said.

Tsunami waves -- generated by earthquakes -- are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.

A 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia on December 26, 2004 caused a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries.

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