A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the eastern coast of central and northeastern Japan this Monday, with a depth of 10 kilometers, and has led Japanese authorities to activate a tsunami warning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The earthquake was recorded at 4:53 p.m. (local time, 7:53 GMT) about 100 kilometers from the port of Kuji, on the coast of Sanriku, which is located in northern Japan. The JMA issued tsunami warnings for coastal areas from Hokkaido to Fukushima Prefecture, with waves that could reach three meters.
80 centimeter waves
The port of Kuji has recorded the largest waves of the tsunami with 80 centimeters high, while at the moment no victims have been reported. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has informed the press that her cabinet is “confirming the extent of the human and material damage.”
Meanwhile, Japanese authorities have asked the population in the areas affected by the tsunami warning to evacuate to safe places.
The forecast is that in the coming days earthquakes of a similar scale will occur in the same area, as has happened on previous occasions, as explained in a press conference by the director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Observation Division of the JMA, Shinji Kiyomoto.
The Japanese Government has formed an emergency team to work together to provide “all necessary support,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office said on the X social network.
Nuclear operators have not detected any anomalies or unusual levels of radioactivity around nuclear power plants, according to NHK television.
In this sense, the TEPCO company has indicated that “no impact has been confirmed” on the facilities or infrastructure of its nuclear plants, but confirmed that it had ordered the evacuation of workers at Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini.
Due to the power outages and the activation of the prevention system, train service, including the bullet train, has been suspended in several parts of the country, such as the route between Tokyo and Shizuoka.
In early December 2025, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Aomori Prefecture left more than thirty people injured and caused waves of up to 710 centimeters, but no major damage was reported.
One of the most active seismic zones in the world
Japan sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, one of the most active seismic zones in the world, and suffers earthquakes relatively frequently, so its infrastructure is specially designed to withstand tremors.
