Jan 17 (Japan Today) - Japan saw tsunami waves of about 1 meter high in coastal areas on Sunday but no major damage or flooding after the eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga led to evacuation orders for nearly 230,000 citizens.
Japan's weather agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories in the early hours for the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Okinawa, but these were all lifted in the afternoon, after around 14 hours.
The agency said slight sea-level fluctuations may continue for some time, but there is no risk of disaster. However, it cautioned over marine activities such as those done underwater and fishing.
While there were no serious human casualties, some fishing boats were capsized and the warnings caused delays or cancellations to public transport.
Up to 229,000 people in eight prefectures -- Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Chiba, Tokushima, Kochi, Miyazaki and Kagoshima -- were asked to flee from the seaside, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Some high school students in the prefectures who were to sit for the 2-day nationwide university entrance examinations from Saturday had to adjust to new time schedules.
A 1.2-meter wave was observed on Amami Island in Japan's southwest shortly before Saturday midnight, while a 1.1-meter one later arrived in Iwate Prefecture in the northeast which was affected by the deadly earthquake and ensuing tsunami more than a decade ago.
