After a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the morning of July 30, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for numerous coastal areas of Japan.

Tsunami waves were observed over a wide area, from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the southwest, with the highest measuring 1.3 meters at the port of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture in the northeast.

On the evening of July 30, the agency downgraded all warnings to advisories.

At 10:45 a.m. on July 31, it lifted advisories in regions centering on Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.

Tsunami advisories were still in place in some coastal areas of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures as well as Tokyo's Izu islands and Kagoshima's Tanegashima and Yakushima region.

Apparently while evacuating, a 58-year-old woman in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, died after the car she was driving fell off a cliff.

Elsewhere, 14 evacuees in Hokkaido and one in Miyagi Prefecture were taken to hospital for injuries or for not feeling well.

Evacuation orders had been issued to a combined total of more than 2 million residents in affected areas across Japan.

S/ NNN Reporter / It's 6:12 p.m. at the port of Hanasaki in Nemuro. Over there, you can see the waves have crashed over the wharf.

In Hokkaido, where tsunami waves of up to 80 centimeters were observed, sea water reached land near high tide.

In response to tsunami warnings, 37 local governments in Japan's northernmost prefecture issued evacuation orders.

S/ Evacuee / I'm a fisherman and the fishing boat is floating, so I'm worried about the boat.

S/ Evacuee / I am praying first and foremost that there will not be any damage.

Authorities warned people in areas where tsunami advisories were in place to continue to avoid going near the sea.

Even for places where advisories have been lifted, they warned that the sea level could change slightly for about a day.

S/ NNN Reporter / At this elementary school, the classrooms are being used by residents who have evacuated.

The Hokkaido prefectural government said it has decided to assist 69 municipalities based on the disaster relief law and will work with the national government to provide support and cover necessary expenses.