- Massive earthquake hits western Japan, triggering tsunami warnings
Japan has advised citizens to “evacuate immediately” following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the country’s central region.
A significant tsunami warning has been issued for the coastal Noto area of Ishikawa, with waves as high as 5m (16ft) expected.
Tsunami warnings were also issued for the nearby prefectures of Niigata and Toyama, where authorities predicted waves might exceed 3m.
Despite the cold, public television displayed the words “EVACUATE” in large letters, urging inhabitants to leave to higher ground.
“We realise your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are more important than anything else,” an NHK presenter advised impacted viewers.
People have also recorded videos of their homes and tube trains shaking during the New Year’s Day earthquake.
On Monday, a series of 21 earthquakes measuring 4.0 magnitude or higher slammed central Japan in less than 90 minutes, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The strongest tremor, measuring 7.6, occurred at 16:10 local time (07:10 GMT).
According to local media sources, this is the first “major tsunami warning” issued since 2011, when a massive earthquake ripped across north-eastern Japan, unleashing waves up to 40 metres high.
Because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where multiple tectonic plates collide, Japan is one of the most seismically active countries on the planet. Because of the persistent threat of earthquakes, Japan has developed one of the most effective tsunami warning systems in the world.
Reuters via Kyodo
In Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, a house has collapsed.
Major routes were shut down near the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake. According to Hokuriku Electric Power, more than 36,000 households in the area were left without power.
The nuclear authority of Japan stated that there is “no risk of radioactivity leaking from nuclear power plants” in the earthquake and tsunami-affected areas.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesman, cautioned citizens to brace themselves for more quakes.
The South Korean meteorological office has issued a tsunami warning for the country’s eastern coast between 18:29 and 19:17 local time on Monday. Residents in the hilly Gangwon province have been ordered to relocate to higher ground.
Russia has issued tsunami warnings for the far eastern port cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka, according to the country’s state news agency TASS.
In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami ripped through Japan’s north-eastern coastal regions, killing almost 18,000 people and displacing tens of thousands.
The tsunami waves caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power facility, resulting in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
