Overview
- Japan’s Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude 7.5–7.6 offshore quake around 11:15 p.m. JST, about 50–54 kilometers deep, with a maximum intensity of 6 strong recorded in the Hachinohe area.
- Tsunami warnings for Hokkaido’s Pacific coast, Aomori, and Iwate were downgraded to advisories at 2:45 a.m. JST after coastal evacuations through the night.
- The Cabinet Office and JMA issued the Hokkaido–Sanriku aftershock caution information for the first time, covering 182 municipalities for one week as seismologists flagged an elevated chance of successive shocks over the next 2–3 days.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi directed a life-first response and said seven injuries had been reported as authorities pressed damage assessments and information updates.
- Tohoku Shinkansen services were suspended between Fukushima and Shin-Aomori, and initial checks found no immediate abnormalities at the Higashidori and Onagawa nuclear plants and related fuel facilities as broader inspections continued.