Tsunami waves from Chilean quake arrive in Japan

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February 28, 2010 1:49 a.m. EST

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Tsunami waves from the deadly 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile started hitting the Japanese coast Sunday, but the initial ones did not appear large enough to cause damage.
Authorities are still asking evacuated residents to stay away because a second and third round of waves could gain strength.
The first one, a 4-inch wave, hit Minami Torishima, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Japanese meteorological agency.
An 11-inch wave was later recorded in the port of Nemuro, Hokkaido. It hit the port at 1:57 p.m. local time. Another 8-inch wave hit Hamanaka-cho, Hokkaido, at 2:05 p.m. local time.
Tsunami warnings from the earthquake initially covered the entire Pacific region, but were later canceled except for Russia and Japan.
Check out the world's biggest earthquakes since 1900
Tens of thousands of residents began evacuating Sunday morning from coastal Japan in anticipation of a possible tsunami after the earthquake.
The northern part of the main island was looking at the possibility of a tsunami at least 9 feet high, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Sunday's alert was Japan's first major tsunami warning in more than 15 years, the agency reported.
A tsunami spawned by Chile's 1960 earthquake killed 140 people in Japan.