A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan’s northeast late Monday, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for residents. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said a tsunami of up to three metres (10 feet) could hit the northeastern coast. Tsunami alerts were issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures, with smaller waves of 20–50 cm (7–18 inches) observed at several ports.
The quake’s epicentre was located 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 50 km (30 miles). On Japan’s 1–7 seismic intensity scale, the tremor registered as an “upper 6” in Aomori, strong enough to make standing impossible and capable of causing heavy furniture collapse and damage to walls and windows.
East Japan Railway suspended some services in the affected area, which was also struck by the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011. Utilities reported no irregularities at nuclear power plants, though thousands were left without electricity.
The yen weakened briefly against major currencies following the quake, with the dollar reaching around 155.81 yen.
Japan, located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent seismic activity, accounting for roughly 20% of the world’s magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes.