Japan: Northern Japan was rattled late Monday night after a powerful offshore earthquake sent shockwaves through coastal towns, injuring more than 20 people and briefly triggering tsunami warnings along the Pacific shoreline. The 7.5-magnitude tremor struck just after 11 p.m., jolting residents from Aomori to Iwate and prompting emergency evacuations in several communities.
Authorities said the epicentre lay roughly 80 kilometers off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, in waters northeast of Hachinohe. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued a warning for potential waves as high as three meters before scaling it down to an advisory. The largest tsunami—measured at around 70 centimeters—was recorded at Kuji port in Iwate, with smaller surges detected at various locations along the coast.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed that 23 people had been injured, one of them seriously. Many were hurt by falling furniture or objects as homes and shops shook violently. Local media reported additional injuries inside a hotel in Hachinohe, while a man in the Tohoku region suffered minor wounds after his car plunged into a ground fissure.
Residents described the quake as one of the strongest in recent memory. “Everything in the store swayed so hard that I thought the shelves would collapse,” said Nobuo Yamada, who owns a convenience shop in Hachinohe. “Thankfully, we didn’t lose electricity.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said around 800 households were without power overnight, and parts of the Shinkansen network were temporarily halted. Safety inspections were also conducted at power facilities, including nuclear complexes. At the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, about 450 liters of water spilled from a spent-fuel cooling system, though regulators stressed that the water level remained safe.
The government mobilized defense units for early-morning assessments. Eighteen Self-Defense Force helicopters surveyed damage, while nearly 500 residents took shelter at the Hachinohe Air Base. Hundreds of travelers were also left stranded at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido due to suspended services.
The JMA cautioned that more strong aftershocks could follow in the coming days. Officials noted a slightly elevated possibility of another major quake—potentially magnitude 8 or higher—along the northeastern coastline stretching from Chiba to Hokkaido. Emergency planners urged residents across 182 municipalities to stay prepared and follow evacuation guidance immediately if tremors return.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a government task force had been established to coordinate rapid response efforts. “Protecting lives is our highest priority,” she said, urging communities to remain alert to local advisories.
The quake occurred near the region devastated by the 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 20,000 dead and triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Experts said the latest event is a stark reminder that the area remains highly seismically active. “We must always assume that large, destructive earthquakes can occur again,” JMA official Satoshi Harada warned.
By early Tuesday morning, all tsunami advisories were lifted, though monitoring continued after a separate magnitude 5.1 aftershock was detected south of Honshu.
