Tokyo, Jan 1 (IANS): Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture observed tsunami waves of more than 1.2 meters on Monday after a series of strong quakes struck Japan's western coast in the afternoon, local media reported.

According to reports, Toyama prefecture on the western coast of Japan also reported tsunami waves of 50 centimeters at 4:23 p.m. local time, Xinhua news agency reported.

Torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters and authorities urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible, according to NHK.

East Japan Railway Co. suspended operations of all Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines due to the earthquakes, Kyodo News reported.

Hokuriku Electric Power Company said more than 36,000 houses are experiencing power outage.

The Japanese government set up an emergency response office at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, it added.

Earlier in the day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued tsunami warnings for a broad swath of the country's western coast, including Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata and other prefectures, after a series of strong earthquakes with major ones measured at up to 7.6 magnitude struck a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan.

According to the weather agency, the major temblor occurred at 4:10 p.m. local time (0710 GMT) at a shallow depth, registering a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. It also shook buildings in central Tokyo.