A major earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, prompting an official tsunami warning and evacuation order. Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned tidal waves of up to three meters (about 10 feet) could reach northern coasts almost immediately.
“Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,” the agency said, adding that property damage was expected. “Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted.” The evacuation order stretched as far north as Hokkaido.
The JMA recorded an 80-centimeter (32-inch) tsunami near Kuji port in Iwate prefecture after a 7.4-magnitude quake. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents in warned areas to move to higher, safer locations and said the government was trying to confirm whether there were any casualties or property damage. Officials have set up an emergency task force. Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Aomori were suspended for the time being.
The shadow of Fukushima
Fifteen years have passed since the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan struck the Tohoku region, killing around 20,000 people and triggering a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Japan experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Most recently, dozens were injured in a December earthquake off the coast of Aomori prefecture. The JMA has issued warnings about possible “megaquakes” that could occur along the Nankai trough. That roughly 800-kilometer trench is where the Philippine Sea tectonic plate is subducting beneath the continental plate that includes Japan. Officials estimate such a megaquake could kill hundreds of thousands and cause trillions of dollars in damage.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery