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A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on Monday, as authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to three meters were expected.
The biggest waves were forecast to hit Iwate and Aomori prefectures on Japan’s main island of Honshu, as well as the northern island of Hokkaido, authorities said.
In the hour following the earthquake, which struck at 4:52 pm local time, tsunami waves of up to 80 centimeters were detected, while warnings remained for waves up to three meters high.
Several port towns including Otsuchi and Kamaishi – both badly hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami – issued evacuation orders for thousands of residents, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency team and urged residents in the affected areas to evacuate to a safe place.
“Potential damage and casualties are being assessed,” Takaichi told reporters at his offices in Tokyo.
Japan was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday, prompting widespread aftershocks and tsunami warnings – serving as another example of the country’s best efforts to deal with earthquakes. CBC’s Johanna Wagstaffe
A major earthquake may occur in the next days and weeks, the official of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said in a separate televised press conference.
Ships set sail from Hokkaido’s Hachinohe port in anticipation of the waves, videos broadcast on NHK showed, such as “Tsunami! Get out!” warning light on the screen. A three-meter tsunami could cause damage to low-lying areas, flood buildings, and anyone exposed could be caught in its currents, according to the JMA.
Ammunition trains in Aomori have been suspended due to tremors, Kyodo news agency reported.
The quake was an “upper 5” on Japan’s earthquake intensity scale – strong enough to make it difficult for people to walk and cause unreinforced concrete block walls to collapse. The quake occurred in the Pacific Ocean and was 10 kilometers deep, the JMA said.
Located in the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and ocean trenches that partially surround the Pacific Basin, Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries, with an earthquake occurring at least every five minutes.
It accounts for about 20 percent of earthquakes that measure 6.0 or greater, such as the 2011 disaster that caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.
No nuclear power plants are currently operating in the affected areas and Hokkaido Electric Power Co 9509.T and Tohoku Electric Power Co 9506.T said nothing unusual was reported at their idled facilities there.
Another 7.5 magnitude earthquake in December left many injured.
It has been more than 15 years since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, devastated parts of northern Japan, killing more than 22,000 people and forcing nearly half a million people to flee their homes, mostly due to tsunami damage.
About 160,000 people fled their homes in Fukushima due to radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was hit by the tsunami. About 26,000 of them have not returned because they have resettled, their cities remain under siege or they have ongoing concerns about radiation.
