Japan on Sunday ordered more than 70,000 people to flee vulnerable areas as wailing sirens warned of a tsunami racing towards the country's Pacific coastline following the huge earthquake in Chile. 'Please do not approach the coast at any cost,' Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said in nationally televised comments as an initial tsunami wave of 10 centimetres (four inches) hit the remote Minamitorishima island far at sea. Far bigger waves of up to three metres (10 feet) could hit the northern areas of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned as the country implemented its major tsunami alert in 15 years. Hatoyama urged extreme caution even as fears of destructive waves eased across the rest of the Pacific. 'We should not drop our guard,' the sombre-looking prime minister said. 'I would like people to take all possible measures.' The Meteorological Agency also issued warnings for waves of up to two metres along the entire Pacific coastline of the Japanese archipelago, from the northern main island of Hokkaido through to the southern Okinawa island chain. First waves were nearing the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and the central Izu region of the main Honshu island, the agency said as tsunami warnings flashed across all television channels. Tsunami sirens wailed across eastern seaside areas of the archipelago, where massive steel gates slammed shut across the entrances to several fishing ports and coastguard vessels fanned out to search for stray ships still at sea. Communities long drilled for tsunamis in one of the world's most earthquake prone nations packed blankets and clothes and headed for schools and town halls where emergency services stacked water and supplies. Local officials in northern Japan said more than 50,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate, while many regional railway services were halted and public broadcaster NHK issued non-stop warnings to people to take shelter. 'We have not witnessed any panic among residents, but we are trying hard to work on a smooth evacuation,' said Shigeru Suzuki, a local official in Sendai City in Miyagi. Masanori Kitamura, an official at Hachinohe in Aomori, where at least 30,000 people were ordered to leave their homes, said: 'Now, our firefighters are patrolling out there to check whether any residents remain near the coast.' Thousands more were ordered to safety in coastal areas. Saturday's quake in Chile, which killed at least 300 people, revived raw memories for Japan. In 1960, a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in Chile -- the largest on record -- sent a tsunami hurtling across the Pacific, leaving more than 140 people dead in Japan. However, construction standards and safety drills have vastly improved and Japan is today a world leader in disaster preparedness. 'Last time (in 1960), waves that hit after the first one became even more powerful,' said Yasuo Sekita, a Meteorological Agency official in charge of monitoring earthquakes and tsunamis. 'We believe it will be the case this time, too,' he told a news conference. 'The agency will keep the tsunami alert for quite a long time.' The agency also warned that the waves could surge higher in northern coastal areas because they are expected around high tide. Cities in the area were cancelling festivals and a local election, while NHK repeatedly warned local residents not to go near beaches or a river mouth. 'Those living in the area, please help old people living alone, take their hands and go up to a higher place,' one NHK reporter urged. On Saturday, Japan's southern island of Okinawa was hit by a big 7.0 magnitude quake, triggering minor tsunamis but causing only small damage to housing and minor injuries. In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake in the Tokyo area claimed more than 140,000 lives, many of them in fires. In 1995, a major quake killed some 6,400 people in Kobe and other western Japanese cities. 