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Residents of the affected region were urged to stay away from coastal areas, while tens of thousands of people were told to go to higher ground.
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The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog says it was informed by Japan that as of 8:16 UTC, or Coordinated Universal Time (4:16 a.m. ET), “no abnormalities occurred at its nuclear facilities in the affected regions” following today’s earthquake and tsunami warning.
Soldiers stationed at the Iwate garrison, part of the Japanese army, were pictured making preparations following the tsunami alerts today.
Iwate Garrison Of Japan / Anadolu via Getty Images
Iwate Garrison Of Japan / Anadolu via Getty Images
Iwate Garrison Of Japan / Anadolu via Getty Images
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued an advisory for an increased risk of a potential megaquake for northern Japan, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
There was a 1% chance for a megaquake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, officials said.
The agency says there is an increased probability of a megaquake along two deep sea trenches in the Pacific Ocean, NHK reported, adding the alert covers more than 180 towns and cities from Chiba to Hokkaido.
Sirens blared and tsunami warning announcements were heard on loudspeakers in the coastal Japanese town of Ofunato after the earthquake struck off the country’s east coast.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has revised the magnitude of the earthquake from 7.5 to 7.7, according to public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News.
Today’s tsunami waves came just weeks after the 15th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as the government looks to restart nuclear reactors around the country to bolster nuclear as a stable energy source.
More than 22,000 people were killed in that tsunami, and nearly half a million people had to flee their homes. Thousands have still not returned to their homes in Fukushima, where concerns remain about radiation.
Across the area of the three reactors that suffered a meltdown, there is also a massive amount of radioactive soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums. Then there’s also at least 880 tons of melted fuel debris in the meltdown reactors, where dangerous radiation levels persist.
Unlike ordinary ocean waves, tsunamis carry an enormous volume of water and arrive as a sustained flood rather than a dramatic crashing wave, which makes them deceptively dangerous.
Officials warned of this danger today.
Even a wave just 1 foot high carries enough force to knock people off their feet, sweeping along debris such as fallen trees and overturned cars in a slurry.
A retreating wave is equally lethal, pulling people off land and dragging them out to sea.
Japan experiences tremors — both minor and major — almost every day, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
The East Asian country sits on the “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates converge, triggering many of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Nearly 20% of global earthquakes measuring 6.0 or higher occur in Japan.
Since 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan has significantly strengthened its earthquake warning systems and evacuation protocols.
Earthquakes of similar scale could take place over the next week, Kyodo News reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.
An electronic bulletin board warning about the earthquake in Sendai city today. Jiji Press / AFP via Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force and was assessing the damage.
“Residents in areas under tsunami warnings should immediately evacuate to higher ground or safe elevated locations,” she said, according to Reuters.
Japanese authorities have issued tsunami warnings for Iwate prefecture, the Pacific coast of Aomori prefecture and the central part of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido.
Lesser tsunami advisories have been issued for Fukushima prefecture, Miyagi prefecture, the Japan Sea coast of Aomori prefecture, and the western and eastern parts of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido.
No abnormalities were reported at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear power plants, the Tokyo Electric Power Company has said, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
There has also been no change in radiation levels around the sites, the operator said.
There were also no abnormalities at other nuclear plants in Aomori prefecture and Miyagi prefecture.
During the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, three of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant melted down due to tsunami damage in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Efforts to decommission the plant and remove radioactive material continue 15 years later and are expected to last decades.
The bullet train service connecting Tokyo to Shin Aomori in eastern Japan has been suspended due to the earthquake, the Tohoku Shinkansen operator, JR East, was quoted as saying by the public broadcaster NHK.
A crowded railway station in Sendai city of Miyagi prefecture today, as the Shinkansen services are suspended after an earthquake hit northern Japan. JIJI Press / AFP via Getty Images
A secondary Shinkansen line, the Yamagata line connecting Tokyo to Fukushima, has also been suspended. Moreover, all local train lines have been suspended in Iwate prefecture, where waves nearly 3 feet high have already hit the coastline.
Waves as high as 2½ feet have already been reported amid tsunami warnings and advisories in parts of Japan.
A television screen shows a news report in Tokyo today. Issei Kato / Reuters
The highest wave so far was at Kuji Port in Iwate prefecture, measuring about 80 centimeters in height. There were also waves at Miyako Port in Iwate (40 centimeters), Hachinohe Port in Aomori prefecture (30 centimeters), Urakawa Town in Hokkaido (20 centimeters) and Ishinomaki Ayukawa (20 centimeters).
There were also waves at Mutsu Ogawara Port in Aomori, Ofunato Port in Iwate and Kamaishi Port in Iwate, the heights of which have not been reported.
Residents in affected areas are still being encouraged to evacuate, as the second and third waves can sometimes be higher, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency will be holding a news conference at 6 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).
Though tsunami warnings and advisories have been issued in parts of Japan, there is no tsunami expected in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska or the Canadian province of British Columbia, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said on X.
The broadcaster NHK showed live pictures of ships leaving ports and heading out to sea to avoid being caught up in any potential wave.
The quake hit at 4:53 p.m. local time (3:53 a.m. ET) off the coast of Sanriku, the agency said, at a depth of more than 6 miles.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that a tsunami as high as almost 10 feet was “rapidly approaching” Iwate prefecture on the main island of Honshu, while a wave of similar size could reach Hokkaido’s central Pacific coast.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck this morning off the northeastern coast of Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, prompting a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.
NBC News