Earthquake, tsunamis… and even a METEORITE! Video footage captures powerful 7.4-magnitude tremor near Fukushima and flaming objects in the sky above Japan 

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Dramatic video has captured a meteorite burning across the sky just hours after a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Japan sending a tsunami cascading inland and up a river.

The footage shows a flaming object trailing across the evening sky while the country was still assessing the damage from the tremor. 

Alarms rang out in towns across Fukushima prefecture - where the 2011 earthquake wreaked havoc - and further along Japan's eastern coastline.

Around an hour later, a tsunami flowed inland and up the Suna'oshi River in Tagajo - a city devastated in the 2011 earthquake - almost bursting its banks. 

Video taken by a 16-year-old known as Asuka then showed a mysterious burning light crossing the night sky.

Dramatic video has captured a meteorite burning across the sky (pictured) just hours after a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Japan sending a tsunami cascading inland and up a river

A tsunami flowed inland and up the Suna'oshi River in Tagajo - a city devastated in the 2011 earthquake - almost bursting its banks

A tsunami warning for Fukushima has now been lifted

Asuka posted the footage along with the words: 'A movie I took while preparing to die. Thought that it was a meteorite because there was an earthquake earlier. It is not a meteorite.' 

Train station signs rattled, buildings rocked and high-pitched sirens pierced the air on what had otherwise been a peaceful morning when the quake hit. 

Another video - recorded at 6am local time - showed boards at a Tokyo train station rocking violently from side-to-side as the earthquake struck.

Passengers are heard panicking while others calmly make their way out of the station in Akihabara district as the ground shakes.

Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from harbours as tsunami warnings wailed after alerts of waves of up to 3 metres were issued.

Another video, taken by British expat Paul Ferguson, shows the moment the tsunami alerts started ringing out.

Mr Ferguson, who lives in Mito, Ibraraki prefecture, said he was woken up by the huge sirens just moments after the 7.3 quake struck just before 6am local time. 

Dramatic videos have captured the moment a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Japan , sending a tsunami cascading inland and up a river

Dramatic videos have captured the moment a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Japan

Firefighters watch the port to check the water level as a tsunami warning is issued following an earthquake in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan

Passengers crowd at Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, after train services are suspended following the earthquake

Books are scattered on the floor at a library in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, after the quake

'This is scary guys, I'm not gonna lie,' he tweeted.

'Oh god another aftershock. I'm on high ground and safe though so please don't worry,' he added.

The massive earthquake struck off the Japanese coast, some 67km northeast of Iwaki, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The USGS reported the quake with a depth of 10km struck at about 6am and tsunami waves up to one metre high began to hit Japan's Pacific coast within an hour.

Train station signs rattled, buildings rocked and high-pitched sirens pierced the air on what had otherwise been a peaceful Tuesday morning

Waves were seen crashing against the shore in eastern Japan moments after the earthquake

The massive earthquake struck off the Japanese coast, some 67km northeast of Iwaki, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said

Vehicles make a line as they flee following a tsunami warning in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture early on Tuesday morning, local time

Mr Nakamura points a map of Fukushima and its surrounding prefecture

A map shows the epicentre of the earthquake marked with a star

Initial waves were between 30-90cm in height but larger waves - up to three metres high - were expected to hit. 

The epicentre of the quake was near Fukushima, where in 2011 an earthquake killed 16,000 people and caused a nuclear plant meltdown .  

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned people to evacuate immediately and head for higher ground but tsunami warnings have now been lifted.

According to Japanese news service NHK, a cooling system at Fukushima nuclear plant's third reactor stopped operating following the quake.

No cooling water had leaked out but the temperature of the water had began to increase slightly, NHK reported.

Aerial footage showed tsunami waves flowing up rivers in some areas, and some fishing boats were overturned in the port of Higashi-Matsushima before the JMA lifted its warnings.

This aerial photo shows Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, following a strong earthquake off the coast

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater

A tsunami warning was in place for much of Japan's east coast 

Other nuclear plants are being monitored for damage. Aftershocks were reportedly felt as far away as Tokyo.

By about 8am in Japan, minor injuries were being reported. About 7.30am local time, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the nation. 

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

The March 11, 2011, quake was magnitude 9, the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan. The massive tsunami it generated knocked out the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

Systems have been updated since the 2011 disaster to spread warnings more quickly, said Tsunetaka Omine, head of the Disaster Management Division in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima prefecture.

Previously, there were complicated directions on where to evacuate. 'But now, we basically just tell people to head away from the sea, to the highest possible ground,' Omine said.

Much of Japan's coast was devastated in the 2011 disaster, which killed thousands of people

The 2011 earthquake caused a tsunami with waves up to nine metres high, which damaged nuclear reactors

More than 20,000 people died or were reported missing following the quake and tsunami in 2011, that devastated the town of Otsuchi (pictured) 

Authorities now also send tsunami warnings to every mobile phone in the area and broadcast on local radio.

Staying in a traditional Japanese inn on the coast in the city of Ofunato with a dozen international high school students on a study tour, teacher Kathy Krauth said the shaking began just seconds after a quake alarm on her phone went off.

'I felt like the lessons of 3-11 were really taken to heart,' said Krauth, who teaches a class on the March 2011 disaster and its aftermath. 'The feeling was, we just don't know, but we're going to be as cautious as we can.'

Nissan Motor Co said it would suspend work at its engine factory in Fukushima at least until the latest tsunami warning was lifted. A spokesman said there were no injuries or damage at the plant, which was badly damaged in the 2011 disaster.

Toyota Motor Corp said all its factories in northeastern Japan were operating as usual.

Japan's famous Shinkansen bullet trains were halted along one stretch of track and some other train lines were also stopped.

Japanese financial markets were little affected, with the Nikkei 225 index closing up 0.3 percent and the yen steady against the U.S. dollar.