A tsunami warning has been issued as a strong earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, hit the northern parts of Japan Wednesday evening.

The epicentre of the tremor was 146 miles (235 kilometers) south of Kushiro, on Hokkaido island, and has a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers) below the sea surface, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Sea level rose by nearly 10 cm in Erimo on Hokkaido island and several small towns have issued evacuation advisories to the residents nearest to the coast, according to an Associated Press report.

Alert levels have also been raised in the areas of Armori, Iwate and Hokkaido.

Japan's north eastern parts were hit by a 9.0 earthquake in 2011 which triggered massive tsunami. Nearly 19,000 people were dead and many more were missing in the tragedy.

Japan Earthquake