Waves crashed onto the coastline of Japan today as a massive earthquake in Russia triggered tsunami warnings.

Footage shows the choppy seas in the city of Tomakomai in Hokkaido province at around 10am. The earthquake occurred at approximately 06:24 AM Japan Standard Time (JST).

Officials said the magnitude 8.8 quake struck off the eastern coast of Kamchatka. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake occurred at a depth of 19.3 kilometres.

Authorities said the powerful tremor triggered tsunami waves as high as 13ft along Russia's coastline, leading to evacuations and causing damage to buildings.

The US Tsunami Warning System issued an alert for hazardous tsunami waves expected within the next three hours along parts of the coasts of Russia, Japan, and Hawaii.

A tsunami watch was also issued for the US territory of Guam and several islands in Micronesia, while a tsunami warning was in effect for Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands.

The warning centre also placed the US West Coast under a tsunami watch, including southern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California, specifically Los Angeles Harbour.

The watch extended inland along Washington's Salish Sea, covering Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and Bellingham.

The Kamchatka Peninsula lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for intense seismic and volcanic activity.