Tsunami waves from Samoa quake reach Japan

The huge earthquake that devastated the Samoan islands in the South Pacific caused small tsunami waves to reach the shores of Japan thousands of kilometres away.

The huge earthquake that devastated the Samoan islands in the South Pacific caused small tsunami waves to reach the shores of Japan thousands of kilometres away on Wednesday.

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Tsunami waves of about 10 centimetres lapped islands south of Tokyo as well as the northern coast of the main island of Honshu, the meteorological agency said.

The agency had earlier warned that tsunami waves of up to 50 centimetres would reach Japan's Pacific shores. It lifted the alert six hours after it was issued.

The 8.0-magnitude quake which hit the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa churned up a giant tsunami, killing at least 53 people, wiping out entire villages and sweeping cars out to sea.

Japan, located on the tectonic crossroads known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire," is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and has developed a sophisticated tsunami warning system.