A strong earthquake struck off the Philippine Island of Mindanao on Saturday. A tsunami advisory was issued along Japan's Pacific coastal areas from Okinawa's Miyako and Yaeyama island region to Chiba prefecture.

The US Geological Survey says the earthquake was recorded off Mindanao Island at 2:37 p.m. UTC on Saturday. It registered a magnitude of 7.6. The USGS says the quake occurred at a depth of 32.8 kilometers.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA, issued a tsunami advisory for the Pacific-facing areas stretching from Miyako Island and the Yaeyama region, to Chiba Prefecture.

The agency has then added a tsunami advisory for Amami and Tokara Islands in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima.

The JMA is urging people to stay away from coastal areas as a 1-meter tsunami is expected to arrive.

People in areas under the advisory should stay away from the coast, regardless of the estimated time of arrival.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii informed the JMA that tsunami waves of 8 centimeters were seen in Davao in the Philippines, 2 centimeters in Legazpi and one centimeter at Malakal Island in Palau.

The JMA held a news conference shortly after 2 a.m. It called on people not to enter the sea or approach the coast until the advisory is lifted, as the fast tide flow is expected to continue.

It says tsunami can arrive repeatedly and the height of the waves could rise suddenly.