7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Japan with tsunami advisory on north coast – National
Japan on Monday issued an advisory for areas along the northern coast for an increased risk of possible earthquakes caused by a large earthquake earlier in the day.
The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a one percent chance of an earthquake off Japan’s northern coast in the next week or so following a strong tremor early Monday near the Chishima trough.
Officials said the advisory was not an earthquake forecast but urged residents to raise their preparedness, such as emergency food and their emergency bag in case of an emergency, while going about their daily lives.
The district’s advisory is the second in recent months. Another was released following another major earthquake in December. No major aftershocks occurred.
A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s northern coast early Monday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the region, sending residents scrambling for safety. So far, no major injuries or damages have been reported.
The 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 pm (0753 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), the agency said.
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An 80-centimeter (2.6-foot) tsunami was detected at Kuji port in Iwate prefecture within an hour of the quake, and a smaller 40-centimeter (1.3-foot) tsunami was recorded at another port in the region, the agency said.
A tsunami warning and advisory was still in effect for Japan, with warnings of waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet), but the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat from the earthquake “has now passed.”
The Japanese agency urged residents in the region to immediately stay away from the coast or near rivers and take shelter on higher ground. It also warned people in the area about possible earthquakes for a week.
Footage on NHK television showed many people driving up to parks and other high-altitude areas. In the town of Tomakomai in Hokkaido, a resident arrived at a hilltop park after picking up his child from cram school and said he planned to stay until the notice was lifted.
Iwate and three other northern prefectures have issued non-binding evacuation advisories for more than 128,000 residents, according to the disaster management agency.
A powerful earthquake hits the coast of Japan
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said officials are assessing the situation but so far no damage or injuries have been reported, including at power stations and other facilities.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said that nuclear power plants and related facilities in the region were safe and no abnormalities were found.
Another 7.5 magnitude earthquake in December left many injured.
It has been 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.
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