Hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens were advised to evacuate on Sunday as waves of more than a meter hit coastal areas after the eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga triggered tsunami warnings.

An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday triggering a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations, with footage on social media showing waves crashing into homes.

Japan falls silent to mark 10 years since the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory: a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that traumatized a nation.

A 7.5-magnitude quake hits off Russia's Kuril Islands, the US Geological Survey says, although there is no tsunami threat.

A powerful earthquake strikes off the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java, triggering a two-hour tsunami warning that sent coastal-dwellers fleeing to higher ground.

A strong 8.0-earthquake has struck northern Peru, killing at least one person.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes the east of Papua New Guinea, according to the United States Geological Survey.