A powerful earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue a tsunami advisory and widespread evacuation orders. The agency warned that tsunami waves as high as three meters (about 10 feet) could reach northern coastlines within minutes and urged people to move immediately to high ground or designated evacuation buildings.
Authorities told residents in coastal and riverside areas to evacuate at once and to remain on safe ground until the warnings are lifted. Evacuation directives extended northward to Hokkaido.
The JMA recorded an 80-centimeter (32-inch) wave near Kuji port in Iwate Prefecture following a quake measured at magnitude 7.4. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged people in the affected zones to get to higher, safer locations. The government has formed an emergency task force and was working to determine whether there were casualties or significant property damage. For safety reasons, Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Aomori were temporarily suspended.
The event revived memories of the 2011 Tohoku disaster, which killed about 20,000 people and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis. Japan, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” faces frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Officials noted this follows recent temblors, including a December quake off Aomori that injured dozens. The JMA has repeatedly warned of the possibility of much larger “megaquakes,” particularly along the roughly 800-kilometer Nankai Trough where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting beneath Japan. Authorities say such an event could cause catastrophic loss of life and widespread economic damage.