Powerful 7.2 earthquake off northern Japan triggers tsunami alert

The initial wave in Japan was estimated to arrive by 11:40 pm in port areas spanning the northern regions of Aomori to Iwate. Residents in Sapporo also felt strong tremors as smartphone alarms blared across the city. An NHK reporter in Hokkaido described 30 seconds of intense horizontal shaking that made it difficult to stand.

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Japan’s North Hit by Strong Quake, Residents Urged to Evacuate

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s northern coast on Monday, shaking cities and triggering multiple tsunami waves. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake hit at 1415 GMT off Misawa on the Pacific coast at a depth of 53 km. Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued an immediate tsunami warning. It confirmed that the first wave reached a port in Aomori at 11:43 pm (1443 GMT), followed by several more waves up to 50 cm high. Local broadcaster NHK reported injuries in Hachinohe, where a hotel worker confirmed people were hurt during the quake. Live footage showed shattered glass strewn across roads. Many residents rushed out of their homes and took shelter in the city hall. Authorities had earlier predicted tsunami waves as high as three metres along the Pacific coast.

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No Nuclear Abnormalities Reported After Japan Quake

Kihara said he has received no reports of abnormalities from the two nuclear power plants in northern Japan. And added that teams are still conducting probes at other nuclear facilities. In 2011, a magnitude-9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that killed or left missing 18,500 people and caused a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Shortly after Monday’s quake, Tohoku Electric Power announced on X that the safety equipment at its Higashidori plant in Aomori and the Onagawa plant in Miyagi showed no abnormalities. Japan sits atop four major tectonic plates along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it one of the world’s most tectonically active countries.

The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences nearly 1,500 jolts every year. Most quakes are mild, but the damage varies depending on their location and depth. A government panel in January raised the estimated probability of a major jolt in the Nankai Trough in the next 30 years to 75–82 percent. In March, the government warned that such a “megaquake” and subsequent tsunami could cause up to 298,000 deaths and inflict as much as $2 trillion in damages.

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