A major, 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near Japan on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Aomori, northern Japan, on Monday, 8 December, resulting in at least 33 injuries.

The tsunami warning was issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, after the quake jolted a large part of Japan's north and east at 11.15pm (2.15pm Irish time)