<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Japan issued tsunami alerts Monday after a series of strong quakes shook western areas.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Japan Meterological Agency reported a quake hitting Ishikawa and nearby prefectures, one of them measuring a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.</div><div><br></div><div>It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the northwestern coast of the island of Honshu.</div><div><br></div><div>Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.</div><div><br></div><div>Reports of damage were not immediately available. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>