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Japan Issues Rare Megaquake Advisory as Injuries Rise After M7.5 Off Northern Coast

The alert denotes a roughly 1% one-week risk of an M8+ along the HokkaidoSanriku coast.

Overview

  • Authorities raised the official injury count to 51 as assessments continued, with reports of cracked roads, shattered windows and isolated fires.
  • The JMA’s one-week advisory covers 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba and is framed as a preparedness call rather than a prediction.
  • Tsunami alerts were downgraded and lifted after waves of about 20–70 centimeters were recorded at several northern ports.
  • Notable aftershocks followed, including a magnitude 6.6 within hours of the main quake and a magnitude 6.5 in Hokkaido on Wednesday.
  • An emergency task force was activated as trains were temporarily suspended, power outages were largely restored, and nuclear facilities reported no abnormalities after inspections.