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A powerful earthquake, initially measured at a magnitude of 7.4, struck off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at approximately 4:53 p.m. local time (5:53 p.m. AEST). The tremor originated about 10 kilometers beneath the ocean surface, according to reports from the meteorological agency.
In response to the seismic event, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called for immediate evacuation of residents in the affected regions. As reported by CNN, Takaichi announced that the government has swiftly established an emergency task force to address the situation.
“Residents in areas under tsunami warnings should quickly move to higher ground or designated safe zones like evacuation buildings,” Takaichi advised during a press briefing on Monday, as covered by the national broadcaster NHK.
The authorities are currently prioritizing damage assessment, deploying emergency response measures, including search and rescue operations, and ensuring the public receives accurate and prompt updates, Takaichi stated.
“While we are in the process of confirming the full scope of human and material damage, we expect detailed reports soon and will continue with our disaster response efforts,” she added.
A CNN producer on the ground in Tokyo reported feeling the building they were in shake for about seven minutes.
The operator of the bullet train service that runs between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori station said the train had been suspended due to a power outage caused by the earthquake, NHK reported.
A tsunami of about 80 centimetres was detected at the Kuji port in the Iwate prefecture, and a smaller tsunami of 40 centimetres was recorded at another port in the prefecture, the agency said.
A tsunami of up to 3 metres could hit the area, the agency said. In addition to the tsunami alert in Iwate and Aomori to the north and south-eastern Hokkaido, the agency also issued a milder tsunami advisory for the coasts of Miyagi and Fukushima, south of the epicentre.
Another powerful 7.5 magnitude quake in December left dozens injured.
It’s 15 years since a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, ravaged parts of northern Japan, caused more than 22,000 deaths and forced nearly half a million people to flee their homes, most of them due to tsunami damage.
Some 160,000 people fled their homes in Fukushima because of the radiation spewed from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. About 26,000 of them haven’t returned because they resettled elsewhere, their hometowns remain off-limits or they have lingering concerns about radiation.