Tsunami warning issued after 7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Japan

TOKYO — Tsunami waves were observed off Iwate and Aomori prefectures in the Pacific Ocean after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Sanriku coast in northeastern Japan Monday afternoon.

Tsunami warnings were issued for Aomori, Iwate prefectures and Hokkaido on the Pacific coast by the country’s weather agency. It also forecast tsunami waves of up to three metres are to arrive immediately.

Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture recorded an 80-cm wave, reported Xinhua news agency.

“At Aomori’s Hachinohe Port, a 30-cm tsunami was observed, while the town of Erimo in Hokkaido saw a 20-cm tsunami. Thousands of residents along the coastal areas were being ordered to evacuate,” reported The Japan Times.

The newspaper also mentioned that “At Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture, an 80-centimetre tsunami was observed, while Miyako Port, also in Iwate, saw a 40-cm tsunami, with more waves expected. Waves were also forecast to arrive at other locations across a wide swath of the prefecture’s coast."

No abnormalities have been reported so far at nuclear plants in the affected prefectures of Aomori and Miyagi, and no new issues have been identified at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants, according to their operators.

The temblor occurred at 4:53 pm local time at a depth of 10 km, measuring upper 5 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in the hardest-hit areas in Aomori Prefecture, said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The quake's epicentre was located at a latitude of 39.8 degrees north and a longitude of 143.2 degrees east.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged people in quake-affected areas to evacuate to higher ground while speaking to reporters at her office. 

The Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations were also suspended, said JR East (railway).

Initially, the magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 7.4 but was later revised to 7.5.