A powerful earthquake of 7.4 magnitude hit the northern region of Japan on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture and parts of Hokkaido.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that the earthquake struck off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture, with the worst-affected areas recording an upper 5 intensity on Japan’s 0–7 seismic scale.
The JMA has issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture and parts of Hokkaido and Aomori. A tsunami advisory has also been issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures, according to national broadcaster NHK.
The operator of the Tohoku Shinkansen said services have been suspended between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations following the earthquake.
Tokyo Electric Power Company stated it is assessing whether the quake caused any issues at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants.
Similarly, Tohoku Electric Power Company is conducting safety checks at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi and the Higashidori plant in Aomori.
NHK reported that tsunami waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet) could strike the affected coastline shortly.
The warning comes 15 years after the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a magnitude 9.0 event that killed more than 22,000 people and displaced nearly half a million, largely due to tsunami destruction.
In the aftermath, around 160,000 residents were forced to evacuate Fukushima following radiation leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Of these, nearly 26,000 have yet to return, having either resettled elsewhere, remained barred from their hometowns, or continued to fear radiation exposure.
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