Overview
- The offshore earthquake, which hit Monday near the Sanriku coast, prompted tsunami warnings for parts of Iwate, Aomori, Miyagi and Hokkaido that were later lifted after waves of up to about 80 cm were recorded at ports such as Kuji.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency measured strong shaking at “upper 5” on its intensity scale in some areas, and agencies reported the quake’s magnitude between 7.4 and 7.7 at a depth of roughly 10 km.
- More than 128,000 coastal residents were advised to evacuate during the alerts, and bullet train service in northern corridors was paused before resuming later in the evening.
- Authorities reported a small number of injuries and no major damage, about 100 homes lost power at one point, and operators said nuclear facilities including Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini and Onagawa showed no abnormalities.
- Japan’s weather agency and the Cabinet Office issued a special advisory that the short‑term chance of a much larger quake is higher than normal, estimating about a 1% probability of magnitude 8.0 or greater over the next week and urging people to keep go‑bags ready and expect aftershocks.