Japan issued a special warning on Monday warning of an increased risk of a “huge” earthquake after a powerful 7.5-magnitude quake struck off its northern coast, triggering tsunami alerts and evacuations.The earthquake struck off the coast of Sanriku at around 4.53 pm local time, at a depth of about 10 kilometers. A tsunami measuring about 80 centimeters high was detected in the port of Koji in Iwate Prefecture within an hour, while another port recorded waves about 40 centimeters high.
Warning warns of further risks
Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special warning, saying that “the probability of a new large earthquake occurring is relatively higher than in normal times.”
Officials stressed that the warning is not an expectation, but they urged residents to remain prepared while continuing daily life.Japan’s Cabinet Office and Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance of a massive earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or stronger along the northern coast within the next week after the previous quake near the Chishima Basin. A similar warning was issued in December after another major earthquake, although no major event occurred.
Evacuations and ground response
The tremors, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, were strong enough to impact high-rise buildings as far away as Tokyo, several hundred kilometers from the epicenter.In Hokkaido, waves were seen rising near the shore, prompting residents to move to higher areas. The footage showed people leaving for parks and higher areas. In Tomakomai, a resident said he planned to stay on top of the hill with his child until the alert was lifted.Evacuation warnings were issued to more than 128,000 residents in Iwate and three other northern prefectures. Authorities urged people to stay away from coastal areas and rivers and warned of possible aftershocks for about a week.The warnings remained in place with warnings of waves up to three metres, although the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said the threat was “now over”.
No major damage was reported
Despite the size of the quake, officials said no injuries or major damage were reported, including to power plants.
The Nuclear Regulatory Authority confirmed that the nuclear facilities are operating normally without any malfunction.Transport services were disrupted, with many high-speed trains suspended in northeastern Japan. The Tohoku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen lines were among the affected lines, along with some services in Tokyo.
Earthquake risk in Japan
Japan remains one of the world’s most seismically active countries, experiencing more than 10% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher.
On average, an earthquake of magnitude 7 or stronger occurs approximately every 16 months.The latest developments come 15 years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a magnitude 9.0 disaster that killed more than 22,000 people and displaced nearly half a million, many of them due to tsunami damage and the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
