An earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale shook western Japan on Sunday, the second strong quake to hit the area in five hours, forcing hundreds to evacuate as quake-generated tsunami waves approached.

Tsunamis measuring up to 35 inches hit some areas after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning of potentially destructive waves of up to 6 feet.

All warnings were lifted just less than three hours later.

National broadcaster NHK said at least 28 people had been injured in the latest quake, which hit just before midnight.

Residents along the coast of Mie and Wakayama Prefectures were ordered to evacuate to higher ground to avoid the tsunamis -- water waves generated by seismic activity.

Five fishing boats were capsized in the port of Owase but there were no reports of injuries.
 
Television pictures showed residents leaving home, carrying children and belongings.

"The second one was bigger than the first," said a man who was sheltering in a school. "I was surprised. We'd suffered damage from tsunamis in the past so I decided to evacuate."
 
An official in Wakayama City said he saw what appeared to be a tidal wave 1 meter high surging up a river, NHK said.

The second quake's initial reading was 7.3 on the open-ended Richter scale.

At least three people were injured in the earlier quake, which measured 6.9 and struck just after 10:00 GMT, media reports said.

Both quakes measured five on the Japanese intensity scale of seven.

The US Geological Survey said they were centered about six miles under the seabed about 110 miles south-southeast of Tsu, in Mie Prefecture, or about 375 km southwest of Tokyo.

There may be strong aftershocks, Katsuyuki Abe, a seismologist at University of Tokyo, told NHK.

Much of affected area relies on fishing and agriculture as well as tourism, centerd on the cities of Nara and Kyoto.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, with an earthquake occurring every five minutes.

The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude six or greater. A quake of that magnitude has potential to cause major damage in built-up areas.
 
Memories are still vivid of the earthquake in the western city of Kobe which killed more than 6,400 people in 1995.

That quake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale.

(China Daily via agencies September 6, 2004)