A powerful earthquake struck northern Japan, triggering a tsunami warning. According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the quake measured 7.5 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter located in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Iwate Prefecture, at a depth of about 10 kilometers beneath the seabed.
Initially, the earthquake’s magnitude was estimated at 7.4, but it was later revised. Tremors were also felt in the capital, Tokyo, which lies several hundred kilometers from the epicenter.
Tsunami warning and evacuation
Japan’s disaster management authorities issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture and parts of the island of Hokkaido. According to estimates, waves of up to three meters could hit the affected areas. Shortly after the earthquake, waves reaching up to 80 centimeters were already recorded in Iwate, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents in the affected regions to immediately move to higher ground and follow official instructions. According to Japan’s seismic intensity scale, the shaking was strong enough that, in many cases, unreinforced concrete walls could collapse.
Transport disruptions and nuclear plant status
So far, there have been no reports of material damage or injuries. However, due to the earthquake, high-speed train services in Aomori, in the northern part of Japan’s main island Honshu, were suspended, news agency Kyodo News reported.
NHK broadcast footage showing ships leaving the port of Hachinohe as a precaution ahead of possible tsunami waves.
Regarding nuclear safety, no irregularities have been reported at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, nor at active nuclear power plants in the prefectures of Miyagi Prefecture and Aomori, according to Kyodo, citing plant operators. It was at Fukushima that, on March 11, 2011, a powerful earthquake and devastating tsunami caused the worst nuclear disaster in Japan’s modern history.
Japan among the most seismically active regions
Japan lies in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, at the junction of several tectonic plates. The island nation of around 125 million people experiences approximately 1,500 earthquakes of varying magnitudes each year.
