KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his sympathy over the earthquake which hit Japan on Monday.
"(Datuk Seri Dr Wan) Azizah (Ismail) and I extend our sympathy over the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which hit Ishikawa province in central Japan on Monday.
"The Malaysian government, through the Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian Embassy in Japan, is monitoring closely the latest development of the disaster," said Anwar in a posting on his Facebook page.
He hoped that those affected, including Malaysians there, would be provided with the strength and patience during the difficult and challenging time.
Earlier, it was reported that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 hit central Japan, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents to evacuate and prepare for possible aftershocks.
A tsunami of around one-metre high struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.
The Foreign Ministry was also reported as saying that Malaysians in Japan were safe following news of the quake.