Japan issues tsunami warning after series of strong earthquakes

TOKYO — Japan issued a tsunami warning after a series of strong earthquakes struck the Sea of Japan on New Year’s Day. Quakes occurred off the coast of Ishika and nearby prefectures after 4 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) with one reaching a magnitude of 7.6, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency issued tsunami warnings to the coastal prefectures of Niigata, Toyama and Ishikawa where 33,000 buildings had lost power as of 6 p.m. (4 a.m, ET) , according to electricity company Hokuriku Electric Power. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned the waves could reach as high…