Small Tsunamis Hit Japan’s Izu Islands After Quake

AFP/APP

Tokyo: A small tsunami was recorded on the remote Japanese island of Hachijojima on Tuesday following a 5.6-magnitude earthquake near the Izu Islands chain, according to Japan’s weather agency.

Waves measuring 50 centimeters (20 inches) hit Hachijojima around 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), shortly after the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami alert for the region, located south of Tokyo.

The tsunami appeared approximately 45 minutes after the earthquake, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported had a shallow depth of 11.7 kilometers (7 miles). On the island of Miyakejima, a smaller wave of 10 centimeters was also observed, according to the JMA.

The Izu Islands are home to around 25,000 residents. Despite the tsunami, some residents reported to the national broadcaster NHK that they did not feel the earthquake, and there were no immediate reports of damage.

The JMA also indicated that slight changes in ocean surface levels could be observed along Japan’s extensive Pacific coastline, from Chiba near Tokyo to Okinawa near Taiwan, as a result of the earthquake.

Japan, located on the intersection of four major tectonic plates, experiences approximately 1,500 earthquakes annually, most of which are minor. Thanks to advanced building techniques and well-rehearsed emergency protocols, the country is typically able to contain damage even from larger quakes.

However, experts warn that a mega-quake with a magnitude of 8-9 has a 70 percent chance of occurring within the next 30 years.

Such an event could affect a large portion of Japan’s Pacific coastline and pose a threat to an estimated 300,000 lives in a worst-case scenario.

In 2011, a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake struck northeastern Japan, triggering a tsunami that resulted in the loss of around 18,500 lives.

It also led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most severe nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster.