The Kuril Islands and Japan's northern island of Hokkaido were hit by tsunami waves after a magnitude 8.8 undersea earthquake off Russia's eastern coast.

In Japan, the Meteorological Agency confirmed a tsunami measuring 40 centimetres (1.3 feet) was detected in Tokachi, on the southern coast of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands.

Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Kamchatka, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and motorways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.