Tsunami watch issued for Hawai'i

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Hawai'i was placed under a tsunami watch this morning after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's northern Hokkaido area today. If a tsunami was generated, it would reach the Islands at 5:01 p.m. today, officials said.

The quake hit southern Hokkaido at about 9:50 a.m. Hawai'i time. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported the magnitude at 8.1.

Part of the Aleutian island chain in Alaska also is on a tsunami watch, according to the center.

The earthquake struck about 500 miles north-northeast of Tokyo, southwest of the Hokkaido town of Kushiro. It was felt in central Hidaka and eastern Tokatsu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Under the Japanese seismic classification, the earthquake was strong enough to damage homes and trigger landslides, the agency said.