In Japan, authorities urged some 130,000 people to evacuate to higher ground in fear of the seismic waves. With memories of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami still fresh, hundreds of cars rushed to the hills.

The Japan Meteorological Agency had warned of waves up to two meters (six and a half feet), but the biggest of a series of tsunamis to hit northern Japan was just 40 centimeters (16 inches).

"We all felt relieved when the tsunami warning was lifted," said Takeshi Tanaka, an official of the Fishermen's Association of Nemuro, which faces the Kuril chain -- the closest land to the quake's epicenter.

"Some of our fishermen scrambled to sail offshore while others harbored at safer areas of the port," Tanaka said.

"We are glad to hear that there was no damage to any boats, the most important means for our livelihoods," he said, adding that fishermen sailed out before dawn on Thursday and were catching fish as usual.

Russian media said one person died and another was missing after a trawler sank Thursday near the Russian-ruled Kuril islands off Japan's northern coast in one-meter (three-foot) waves.

It was not immediately clear if the incident was connected to the previous day's tsunami. The Kuril islands were the closest territory to the epicenter.

The US Geological Survey said it was an 8.3 magnitude quake, making it the 19th most powerful tremor ever recorded.

The underwater earthquake that triggered the December 2004 tsunami measured 9.1, the third strongest in recorded history. The disaster killed 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean coast, many of them struck without warning.

Japan, home to 20 percent of the world's major earthquakes, prides itself on having one of the world's more accurate systems for predicting tsunamis.

The meteorological agency issued the tsunami warning 14 minutes after the earthquake occurred at 8:15 pm (1115 GMT) -- and eight minutes before it reported the quake itself, owing to the remote location.

"Tsunami information has priority as it has a sense of urgency in terms of disaster prevention," said an agency official.

"Our expected waves were higher than the actual ones because we needed to issue it as quickly as possible even if some calculation errors may be included in the data," he said.

Last month, the meteorological agency further upgraded its tsunami warning system, which can technically provide data less than two minutes after a big jolt.

"But it took us longer time than usual because the epicenter was far from our seismic intensity gauges," the agency official said.

Japanese and US seismologists released tsunami data through international channels including to Russia, which disputes some of the Kuril island chain with Japan.

Across the Pacific in California, two docks were damaged and several boats were tossed onto dry land by the force of the tsunami.

"It was a tidal surge, about two or three feet of water, it kept coming and going for 20 minutes. It was very violent," said Paul McAndrews, harbor facility manager in Crescent City, around 560 kilometers (355 miles) north of San Francisco.

earlier related report
California town suffers damage after tidal surge from Japan quake
Los Angeles (AFP) Nov 15 - Two docks were damaged and several boats were tossed onto dry land after surging tides caused by the Japan earthquake crashed into a northern California coastal town, officials said Wednesday.

Paul McAndrews, harbor facility manager in Crescent City, around 560 kilometres (355 miles) north of San Francisco, said waves up to one meter (3 feet) high struck the town for about 20 minutes.

"It was a tidal surge, about two or three feet of water, it kept coming and going for 20 minutes, it was very violent," McAndrews said. "We have a tremendous amount of damage, boats sitting on docks, two docks severely damaged."

Local media said the waves struck at around 3 pm local time (2300 GMT).

Crescent City was devastated in 1964 when a massive 9.2 Richter Scale quake struck off the Alaska coast, sending massive waves pounding into the town.

Eleven people were killed and around 150 buildings were destroyed or damaged in the disaster.

Weather authorities Wednesday warned communities along the north California coast to expect waves of up to four feet until the early evening, urging members of the public to stay away from the beach and avoid harbors and bays.

The surging waters came after a huge earthquake, with a magnitude of at least 8.1, rocked the Russian-administered Kuril Islands Wednesday according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, sparking a Pacific-wide tsunami alert.

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