ALBAWABA- A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, triggering urgent tsunami alerts and prompting thousands to evacuate coastal areas across Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The quake, hit at 11:15 p.m. local time with an epicenter about 73 kilometers east-northeast of Misawa in Aomori Prefecture, at a depth of 50 kilometers.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the magnitude, classifying the quake as a major event capable of widespread disruption. A 5.5-magnitude aftershock followed minutes later, intensifying concerns over structural vulnerabilities and additional seismic activity.
Tsunami warnings forecast waves up to 3 meters along Japan’s northeastern coast, an especially sensitive region still marked by the 2011 Tohoku catastrophe.
Smaller waves were already recorded: 40-centimeter surges reached Mutsu Ogawara in Aomori and Urakawa in Hokkaido, while Iwate saw waves of up to 50 centimeters, prompting swift evacuations to higher ground. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also extended advisories to Russia’s Far East, cautioning of hazardous waves within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter.
No casualties or major damage have been reported so far. East Japan Railway suspended service in the affected areas, and the Onagawa and Higashidori nuclear facilities carried out emergency inspections, confirming no abnormalities or radiation leaks.
Residents in Hachinohe described intense vertical and horizontal shaking lasting roughly 30 seconds, knocking over furniture and causing widespread power flickers.
Japan, situated along the seismically active Ring of Fire, experiences about 20% of the world’s magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquakes.
