BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The local tsunami triggered by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, on Monday will not affect China's coastline, according to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Wang Zongchen, a senior engineer at the center, told Xinhua that the tsunami will have no impact on China's offshore waters, nor will it cause any disastrous effects on distant waters such as the outer East China Sea.

Wang advised Chinese citizens traveling or conducting coastal activities in Japan's Iwate prefecture to follow local emergency protocols. Shipping and fishing vessels passing through affected waters were urged to stay alert to tsunami warnings issued for the Pacific region.

The 7.4-magnitude quake struck at 3:52 p.m. at a depth of 10 km, with its epicenter at 39.85 degrees north latitude and 143.10 degrees east longitude. Tsunami waves have since been observed off Iwate and Aomori prefectures in the Pacific Ocean. ■