Tsunami waves were spotted off Iwate and Aomori prefectures in the Pacific Ocean following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake off the Sanriku coast in northeastern Japan. The country’s weather agency issued tsunami warnings for Aomori, Iwate prefectures, and Hokkaido on the Pacific coast, predicting waves of up to three meters.
In Iwate Prefecture, Kuji Port recorded an 80-cm wave, while Aomori’s Hachinohe Port and Hokkaido’s Erimo town observed 30-cm and 20-cm tsunamis, respectively. Residents along the coastal areas were instructed to evacuate as a precaution. The Japan Times reported observations of tsunamis at various ports, with ongoing forecasts for additional waves across the region.
No irregularities have been reported at nuclear plants in the affected prefectures, including Aomori and Miyagi. Operators confirmed no new issues at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, struck at a depth of 10 km, registering upper 5 on Japan’s seismic scale in the hardest-hit areas of Aomori Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi advised residents in quake-affected zones to move to higher ground for safety. The Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations were halted following the earthquake, as confirmed by JR East (railway). Initially estimated at 7.4, the earthquake’s magnitude was later revised to 7.5.
