A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeast coast late Monday, leading to widespread tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for people living along the coast.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported the earthquake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. GMT), centered 80 km (50 miles) off Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 50 km (30 miles). Tsunami warnings were issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures, where waves could reach 3 meters (10 feet) along the Pacific coast.
By midnight, waves up to 40 cm (16 inches) had reached Mutsu-Ogawara port in Aomori and Urakawa port in Hokkaido. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that dangerous waves could affect areas up to 1,000 km (620 miles) from the epicenter, impacting Japanese and Russian coastlines.
NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, reported several injuries at a hotel in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. East Japan Railway suspended train services in the area, and local nuclear plants were checked for safety, with no issues found so far.
Prime Minister Sanae Takachi set up an emergency task force, stating, “We are placing the life of people first, and we are doing as much as we can.”
Japan sits on the seismically active Ring of Fire and experiences about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes over magnitude 6.0. The country is still affected by the 2011 Tohoku disaster, which killed nearly 20,000 people and led to the Fukushima nuclear meltdown.
