Japan quake shakes shopping mall as locals fall to the ground for protection

An earthquake hit Japan today (Match 20) sparking tsunami warnings and shaking buildings.

An earthquake hit Japan today (Match 20) sparking tsunami warnings and shaking buildings.

Footage from a shopping mall in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, shows people fall to the ground in fear and clothes racks and plants tumbled over as the tremors were felt.

"This is pretty bad, this is pretty bad," a voice in the video can be heard saying in Japanese.

"This must be around Magnitude 6," the man speculates.

The magnitude 7 quake struck near the east coast of Honshu at 6:09pm local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Residents in the capital felt the tremors shake their building amid fears that a tsunami could follow.