Overview
- Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the offshore quake near Iwate on Monday registered between magnitude 7.4 and 7.7 at roughly 10 kilometers depth and was felt as far as Tokyo.
- Officials first warned that waves up to three meters could hit Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido, but measured tsunami heights topped out around 80 centimeters at ports such as Kuji and Miyako before warnings were lifted.
- Local governments issued evacuation orders and alerts for well over 150,000 residents in multiple prefectures, and operators halted some high‑speed train services in the north, including lines serving Aomori and Iwate.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi activated a government task force and urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground while emergency teams checked for damage and casualties.
- Nuclear operators reported no abnormalities at Fukushima Daiichi or at plants in Miyagi and Aomori, and the JMA cautioned that the chance of strong aftershocks and another large quake remains higher than usual in the days ahead.