M7.7 Earthquake Strikes Japan, Triggers Small Tsunami
News Desk
Tokyo: A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck northeastern and northern Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami of up to 80 centimeters along parts of the Pacific coast and prompting a weeklong warning of potential aftershocks, authorities said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the offshore quake occurred at 4:52 p.m. beneath the seabed off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 19 kilometers.
It was initially measured at magnitude 7.4 and later revised upward to 7.7. Shaking reached upper 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale of 7, with tremors felt as far as Tokyo.
An 80-centimeter tsunami was recorded at Kuji Port in Iwate about 40 minutes after the quake, the JMA said. Initial forecasts had warned waves could reach up to 3 meters.
Tsunami warnings issued for coastal areas in Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate were later downgraded to advisories before being fully lifted late Monday night, including in Miyagi and Fukushima.
Following the quake, the JMA issued a rare “Subsequent Earthquake Advisory” covering 182 municipalities across seven prefectures from Hokkaido to Chiba, warning of an elevated risk of another major quake—potentially magnitude 8 or higher—within the next week. This system, introduced in 2022, has been activated only twice before.
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Authorities urged residents to avoid spreading misinformation and to refrain from unnecessary stockpiling of supplies.
The Cabinet Office called on residents in affected areas to evacuate to higher ground where necessary. As of 8:15 p.m., more than 182,000 people across five prefectures had been issued evacuation orders, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Injuries were reported in several areas, including an elderly woman in Hokkaido who likely broke her arm while evacuating, and an elderly man in Iwate who suffered a leg injury in a supermarket parking lot.
A young woman in Aomori also sustained a minor head injury.
No abnormalities were reported at nuclear facilities in Aomori, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures, including the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini plants, or at the interim spent fuel storage facility in Mutsu.
Transport services were disrupted, with the Tohoku Shinkansen suspended for around four hours, affecting roughly 32,000 passengers before partial restoration in the evening. Full services are expected to resume Tuesday morning, operators said.
