80 cm Tsunami Hits Northern Japan After 7.4 Quake

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, triggering tsunami waves of up to 80 cm at Kuji port in Iwate Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The agency recorded an earlier 70 cm wave and a smaller 40 cm surge at another port. Authorities initially warned that waves could reach up to 3 metres and issued alerts for Iwate, Aomori, and southeastern Hokkaido, while maintaining advisories for Miyagi and Fukushima.

The quake struck off the Sanriku coast at 4:53 pm (local time) in the Pacific Ocean, prompting tsunami warnings. Officials cautioned that waves up to 3 metres could hit parts of Iwate Prefecture and Hokkaido. Authorities urged coastal residents to stay alert and move to higher ground, while emergency services remained on standby and continued monitoring aftershocks and sea-level changes.

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Tsunami Alerts Spur Evacuations in Japan

Authorities urged residents to evacuate to higher ground as they assessed potential damage and closely monitored the situation. Emergency services remained on high alert across affected regions. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced an emergency task force and appealed to citizens to move to safer areas. Broadcaster NHK aired visuals of ships leaving Hachinohe port, with flashing tsunami evacuation alerts.

Officials briefly suspended bullet train services in Aomori, at the northern tip of Honshu, following strong tremors, Kyodo News reported. The quake registered an “upper 5” on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, making it difficult for people to move. Japan sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it highly prone to earthquakes, with frequent tremors and nearly 20% of the world’s quakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher occurring in the country.

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