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Powerful 7.6 Quake Off Northern Japan Triggers Tsunami Alert, Injures Dozens

Authorities urged coastal residents to prepare for aftershocks, with no issues reported at nearby nuclear plants.

Overview

  • USGS measured the offshore quake near Misawa at 14:15 GMT at a depth of about 53 kilometers, with tremors felt widely across the archipelago.
  • JMA issued a tsunami alert warning of waves up to three meters, and multiple waves as high as 70 centimeters were later recorded in Aomori and Hokkaido.
  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi activated a crisis-management cell and warned that subsequent, possibly larger, tsunami waves could follow.
  • At least 30 people were injured, including one seriously in Hokkaido, and authorities recommended evacuations for roughly 28,000 residents.
  • Power outages affected about 2,700 households in Aomori, numerous fires were reported, some Shinkansen services were suspended for checks, and a magnitude-5.5 aftershock struck about 18 minutes after the main quake.