Related: Strong earthquake hits island off Hokkaido of N Japan

    TOKYO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami warning on Wednesday for northern Japan and Russia after a major earthquake hit near the Kurile Islands north of Japan.

    The center said it was not known if a tsunami was generated and the warning was based only on the evaluation of the earthquake, which has been upgraded to magnitude 8.1 from the previously reported 7.7.

    "An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," it said.

    Small tsunami wave of 40 centimeters has been reported by Japan's Meteorological Agency.

    The small tsunami wave hit Nemuro, a port in Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, at 9:29 p.m. (1229 GMT), the agency said, warning that larger waves could follow. But TV footage of Nemuro has so far shown no signs of any larger tsunami.

    The quake, which struck about 390 km east of the Etorofu islands, north of Japan, at 1115 GMT, could generate a tsunami of about 2 meters or more, Japan's Meteorological Agency said earlier. No injuries or damage have been reported so far.

    The agency also issued a tsunami warning 15 minutes after the quake, causing authorities to demand the residents living along the northern and eastern coasts of Hokkaido to evacuate to higher grounds.

    In Tokyo, roughly 1,700 km southwest of the quake scene, the Japanese government has set up a special office to collect information about tsunami.