A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday, as authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 9.84 ft were expected.
The biggest waves were forecast to hit Iwate and Aomori prefectures at the top of Japan’s main Honshu island, and the northern island of Hokkaido, authorities said.
In the hour following the earthquake, which struck at 4:52 p.m. (0752 GMT), tsunami waves as high as 31.4 in had been detected, while warnings remained for waves as high as 9.84 ft.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday afternoon. USGS
Passengers look at screens announcing the train service has been suspended at Sendai Station. via REUTERSSeveral port towns including Otsuchi and Kamaishi – both hard-hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – issued evacuation orders for thousands of residents, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force and urged citizens in the affected areas to evacuate to safety.
“Possible damage and casualties are now being looked into,” Takaichi told reporters at her offices in Tokyo.
Big aftershocks may occur in the following days and weeks, an official from Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said at a separate televised press conference.
Soldiers carry supplies at Iwate Garrison after the earthquake jolted the nation. Anadolu via Getty ImagesShips sailed out of Hachinohe port in Hokkaido in anticipation of the waves, footage aired on NHK showed, as a ‘Tsunami! Evacuate!’ alert flashed across the screen. A 3-meter tsunami could cause damage to low-lying areas, flooding buildings, and anybody exposed would be caught in its currents, according to JMA.
A television screen shows a news report on Japan Meteorological Agency’s tsunami warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 9.84 feet to reach large coastal areas in northern Japan after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, in Tokyo, Japan on April 20, 2026 REUTERSBullet train services in Aomori were halted due to the tremors, Kyodo news agency reported.
NO ABNORMALITIES REPORTED AT IDLED NUCLEAR PLANTS
The quake measured an ‘upper 5’ on Japan’s seismic intensity scale — strong enough to make it difficult for people to move around and cause unreinforced concrete-block walls to collapse. The tremor had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean and was 10 km deep, JMA said.
Located in the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.
The coastline of Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, after a tsunami advisory was issued. via REUTERSIt accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more, such as the 2011 disaster that caused nuclear meltdowns at a Fukushima power plant.
There are no nuclear power plants currently in operation in the affected areas and Hokkaido Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. said there were no abnormalities reported at their idled facilities there.
