A 7.5 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s northeast coast this Monday, according to the country’s Meteorological Agency. The quake, registered at 4:52 PM local time (9:52 AM in peninsular Spain), generated a tsunami in Iwate prefecture and on Hokkaido island, according to the alert system of Japanese public television NHK. Authorities have confirmed waves of almost one meter in height and warn that they could reach three meters.
The epicenter of the tremor was located in the Pacific Ocean and had a depth of ten kilometers, according to authorities, who have urged residents to stay away from coastal areas. It reached a magnitude of 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale (which measures the shaking perceived by the population), strong enough to make it difficult for people to move.
Several witnesses have reported collapses of unreinforced concrete walls. The Aomori bullet train, in the northern tip of Japan’s main island, Honshu, has suspended its operations, according to Kyodo agency. Several port cities, including Otsuchi and Kamaishi, both severely affected by the historic 2011 tsunami, have issued evacuation orders for thousands of residents.
Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that the government has created an emergency task force and has asked citizens in affected areas to move to safer locations. “Possible damage and casualties are being investigated,” she said. NHK showed boats leaving Hachinohe port in Hokkaido, anticipating the imminent waves, while an alert message of “Tsunami! Evacuate!” appeared on screen.
Japan is one of the countries with the highest seismic activity in the world: it registers at least one tremor every five minutes. Located in the so-called Ring of Fire of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partially surround the Pacific basin —the area where most of the planet’s active volcanoes are located—, the country concentrates 20% of global earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher, Reuters reports.
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As a consequence of this powerful seismic activity, Japan also has one of the most advanced earthquake and tsunami alert systems in the world. It is designed to quickly detect the first seismic waves and anticipate the arrival of stronger waves seconds in advance. It has more than 1,000 seismographic stations distributed throughout the country.
The largest earthquake the archipelago has suffered since records began is the one that affected the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011, which reached a magnitude of 8.9. This tremor devastated the country, causing a gigantic tsunami with waves up to ten meters high. More than 10,000 people died.
Currently, there are no operational nuclear power plants in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, but Hokkaido Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. have several decommissioned nuclear power plants in the area. Tohoku Electric has stated that it is evaluating the impact of the earthquake and tsunami on its Onagawa plant.
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