Powerful quake hits northeastern Japan, triggers evacuations and tsunami alert

Authorities in Japan lifted all tsunami warnings on Tuesday following a strong 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeastern coast late on Monday, injuring at least 30 people and forcing around 90,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

The earthquake hit at 11:15 p.m. local time (1415 GMT), with the epicentre located 80 kilometres (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 54 kilometres. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially warned that tsunami waves up to 3 metres (10 feet) could reach coastal areas.

Tsunami waves measuring between 20 and 70 centimetres (7 to 27 inches) were observed at multiple ports, including in Aomori, Urakawa and surrounding northeastern coastal regions.

As a precaution, authorities issued evacuation orders affecting roughly 90,000 residents, urging people to move to higher ground. By early Tuesday, JMA downgraded the tsunami warnings to advisories before lifting all advisories entirely. Officials confirmed there were no reports of major structural damage, though localised disruption occurred.

Damage and casualties

On Japan’s 1 to 7 seismic intensity scale, the tremor registered as an upper 6 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture – a level strong enough to make standing or walking nearly impossible. CCTV footage shared by local broadcasters showed violent shaking in parked vehicles and residential interiors.
In Hachinohe, scattered broken glass was reported on roadways, and emergency services responded to several calls.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at least 30 people had been injured, with all reported to be conscious. One fire was also confirmed following the quake.

East Japan Railway suspended some services in the affected region and warned of delays across northern Japan. While thousands of households initially lost electricity, utilities later said that power had been restored to the vast majority of customers by Tuesday morning. Operators of nuclear facilities in the region – Tohoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power – reported no irregularities.

Ongoing vigilance and aftershocks

Despite the lifting of tsunami alerts, authorities stressed that seismic risk remains high. The JMA issued an advisory covering a wide area from Hokkaido down to Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, urging residents to remain alert for the possibility of a strong aftershock.

"There is a possibility that further powerful and stronger earthquakes could occur over the next several days," a JMA official said at a briefing.

Japan regularly experiences seismic activity, but after significant earthquakes, the government issues a one-week “megaquake” advisory – a measure introduced after the 2011 disaster, when a magnitude-7-level quake struck two days before the catastrophic 9.0-magnitude event.

Economic and infrastructure impact

The earthquake briefly rattled financial markets. The yen weakened sharply following early reports of the tremor, with the dollar hitting a session high of around 155.81 yen before later stabilising. The euro also reached a session high.

East Japan Railway and other operators said further service adjustments were possible as inspections continued. Infrastructure checks were ongoing across Aomori and neighbouring prefectures.

A long-standing seismic risk

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, sitting on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” and accounts for about 20% of global earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.
The northeastern region was devastated on 11 March 2011 when a 9.0-magnitude offshore quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and set off explosions and meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Since then, authorities have strengthened coastal defences, expanded early-warning systems and reinforced disaster-response mechanisms – all of which were activated within minutes of Monday’s tremor.

Closing remarks

As inspection teams continue assessing damage, officials urge residents to monitor updates from the JMA and local authorities. While tsunami warnings have now been lifted, the risk of aftershocks remains high, and emergency teams across the region are maintaining a heightened state of readiness.

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