TOKYO - Central Japan may experience earthquakes with maximum intensity on its seven-tier scale system in the coming week, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said on Monday.

The remarks were made during a briefing after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 rocked a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast on Monday afternoon, with a large tsunami warning issued for the central prefecture of Ishikawa.

Tsunami waves of up to 1.2 meters were observed in the prefecture following a series of earthquakes hitting Japan's western coast.

The agency urged people in the local area to stay vigilant for the possible strong tremors.