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TOKYO: Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami advisory on Saturday (March 20), after a strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the northeast coast, affecting areas devastated by the 2011 disaster.
The notice was later lifted about an hour after the earthquake. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The earthquake occurred at 6.09 pm local time in Pacific waters off the Miyagi region with a depth of 60 km, the JMA said, issuing a warning for tsunami waves of around one meter. The United States Geological Survey calculated the strength of the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.0.
Public broadcaster NHK showed footage from inside its Sendai office showing a plaque suspended from the ceiling shaking for about 30 seconds after the shaking. He did not report any items falling off the shelves or any immediate damage.
The earthquake could be felt in Tokyo about 400 kilometers south of the epicenter.
NHK warned the public not to go near the coast. Some residents of coastal communities said they had fled to higher ground after the advisory was issued Saturday night.
“I remembered that day 10 years ago,” a man in the city of Ishinomaki told the national broadcaster NHK as he fled to a park on a hill.
“Due to our experience that day, I moved quickly. My heart is pounding,” he said.
There were no immediate reports of damage, according to Takashi Yokota, an official with the Miyagi Prefecture Disaster Management Office.
“We have not received any immediate reports of damage or injuries after the earthquake and the tsunami warning. But we are still gathering information,” he told AFP.
NHK said service on the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train had stopped.
“It was a very strong and long shaking from side to side. It was even longer than the earthquake last month, but at least the building here is fine,” Shizue Onodera told NHK from the store where she works in the city. by Ishinomaki.
“Many bottles were smashed on the ground,” he said. “The electricity is on.”
POWER OUTAGES
Part of Miyagi prefecture in northeastern Japan was hit by power outages following the earthquake, the Tohoku Electric Power utility said.
About 200 households in the town of Kurihara in Miyagi were without power due to the earthquake, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.
The Nuclear Regulatory Authority said there have been no reports of anomalies at nuclear facilities in the area, including the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Onagawa nuclear plant and several smaller facilities and experimental nuclear reactors.
The earthquake and tsunami warning comes shortly after Japan turned 10 years since the catastrophic 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, which triggered a deadly tsunami and the collapse of Fukushima.
READ: 10 years later, Japan mourns the victims of the earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster
READ: Japanese children from the 2011 tsunami shaped by the tragedy
The so-called triple disaster affected northeast Japan, including Miyagi. Last month, the region was also rocked by another strong earthquake that injured dozens.
Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity that spans Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. The country is regularly hit by earthquakes and has strict building regulations aimed at ensuring that buildings can withstand strong tremors.
