Overview
- Japan’s meteorological agency warned of possible waves up to three meters for Aomori, Iwate and southern Hokkaido, with lower-level alerts extending to Miyagi and Fukushima.
- Observed waves included 40 centimeters at Mutsu-Ogawara in Aomori and Urakawa in Hokkaido, later reaching 70 centimeters at Kuji in Iwate, as Hachinohe recorded severe shaking at upper 6 on Japan’s scale.
- Authorities urged evacuations initially for more than 13,000 people, later rising to about 23,000, and local media reported several injuries, including at a hotel in Hachinohe, with isolated fires also noted.
- The government formed an emergency task force; the chief cabinet secretary said nuclear plants were conducting safety checks with no abnormalities reported, and Tohoku Electric began inspections at Higashidori and Onagawa.
- The USGS measured the quake at a depth of about 50–53 kilometers offshore Aomori; regional agencies in Peru and Chile increased monitoring, and a separate magnitude 7.0 Alaska–Yukon quake days earlier prompted no tsunami alert or major damage.