Major 7.4-magnitude quake hits off Japan, tsunami warning issued

Transport services were disrupted, with several bullet train operations in northeastern Japan suspended, including the Tohoku, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen lines, as well as some services in Tokyo.

Officials reported no major injuries or damage, including at power stations. The Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed that nuclear facilities were operating normally with no abnormalities.

Authorities warned of possible aftershocks for about a week. Tsunami alerts remained in place with warnings of waves up to 3 meters, though the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said the threat has now passed.

Evacuations and ground response followed, with more than 128,000 residents across Iwate and three other northern prefectures advised to evacuate. People moved to parks and elevated areas, and some residents planned to stay on hilltops until the alert was lifted.

A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck off the Sanriku coast at around 4:53 pm local time, at a depth of about 10 kilometers. A tsunami of about 80 centimeters was detected at Kuji port in Iwate prefecture within an hour, while another port recorded waves of about 40 centimeters.

A similar special advisory was issued in December after another major quake, though no large event followed.

The article notes that the latest events come 15 years after the magnitude-9.0 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 22,000 people and displaced nearly half a million, with many displaced due to tsunami damage and the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

An 80-centimetre tsunami wave was observed at a port in Kuji, Iwate, at 5:34 p.m. local time (08:34 GMT), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

A 70-centimetre tsunami wave struck a port in Kuji, Iwate, at 5:32 p.m. local time.

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region offshore of northern Japan, as reported by the Japan Meteorological Agency.