Overview
- The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 11:15 p.m. JST off eastern Aomori, with a maximum intensity of 6+ in Aomori’s Sannpan-Kamikita area including Hachinohe.
- Tsunami warnings were issued for the Pacific coasts of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate with forecast heights up to 3 meters, and initial waves around 40 cm were observed at Mutsu-Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa as officials cautioned they could grow.
- JR East suspended Tohoku Shinkansen services between Fukushima and Shin-Aomori pending inspections, and Sapporo’s municipal subway halted the Namboku Line with delays on the Tozai and Toho lines.
- Regulators and operators reported no abnormalities at facilities including Higashidori, Onagawa and Fukushima Daiichi, and the prime minister activated a crisis center and ordered life-saving and evacuation measures.
- Emergency alerts were sent via J-Alert, the JMA is reviewing criteria for issuing a Hokkaido–Sanriku ‘subsequent earthquake’ advisory, and seismologists warned of the potential for further comparable shocks.