Japan tsunami live: First official megaquake warning issued after 23 hurt by rare 7.5-magnitude earthquake

When the quake hit Hachinohe, vice principal Satoshi Kato was at home. He watched as his belongings crashed down around him.

“Glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor,” he told NHK Japan.

Knowing his school served as an evacuation centre, he headed out immediately.

Kato said he ran into “traffic jams and car accidents as panicked people tried to flee”.

By the time he arrived, the building was still empty. Nobody had yet come to the school to take shelter, he told the outlet.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued its highest-level advisory for the possibility of a megaquake following Monday’s earthquake.

Such a scenario could generate tsunamis stretching across the Pacific coastline from Hokkaido down to Chiba.

In response, officials are urging residents to take practical steps now: review local evacuation routes, gather emergency supplies, secure heavy items inside the home, and make sure they have enough food, water, and portable sanitation for several days.

Although authorities are not calling for evacuations at this stage, people living near the Pacific should remain vigilant throughout the coming week.

The alert is the first since this category of warning was started in 2022.

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Aomori in northern Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and prompting the evacuation of around 90,000 residents.

Authorities initially warned that waves could reach up to three metres, though the largest recorded tsunami was about 70cm.

People were urged to move to higher ground or designated shelters, leading to heavy traffic, congestion, and some accidents as many tried to flee at once.

Around 480 evacuees took refuge at Hachinohe Air Base while power outages affected roughly 800 homes, and bullet trains and some local rail lines were suspended, complicating evacuation efforts.

Although all tsunami advisories have now been lifted, officials cautioned that strong aftershocks may continue for a week and stressed the importance of remaining prepared.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, has changed the “tsunami warning to a tsunami advisory”.

This means people under the alert do not have to evacuate to higher ground, but need to stay away from the coastline and keep away from river mouth and please stay alert.

In the past, small fishing boats capsized in harbours under tsunami advisory, as reported by the NHK, Japanese television broadcaster.

The meteorological agency reported the quake’s magnitude as 7.5, is down from its earlier estimate of 7.6.

It issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas and later downgraded to an advisory.

Satoshi Kato, a vice principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, told the NHK, Japan’s national TV network, that he was at home when the quake struck, and that glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor.

Mr Kato said he drove to the school because it was designated an evacuation centre, and on the way he encountered traffic jams and car accidents as panicked people tried to flee. Nobody had yet come to the school to take shelter, he said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously.

Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe.

A man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole as the road caved in.

Prime minister Sanae Takaichi has posted the following on the social media platform, X.

“To residents in areas where the shaking was strong, for the next week or so, please pay close attention to information from the Japan Meteorological Agency and local governments, and ensure that you secure furniture, reconfirm your daily earthquake preparedness, and prepare to evacuate immediately if you feel shaking.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to those who were injured in the earthquake.”

A tremor occurs at least every five minutes in Japan as it is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

This is because it is located in the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin.

Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.

Japan’s currency, the yen, weakened briefly against major currencies after news broke of the tremor, before recovering some ground.

The dollar reached a session high and was trading at around 155.81 yen around 15.33 GMT, while the euro also hit a session high.

“There is a possibility that further powerful and stronger earthquakes could occur over the next several days,” a Japan Meteorological Agency official said at a briefing.

Following the tremor, the JMA issued an advisory for a wide region from the northernmost island of Hokkaido down to Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, calling on residents to be on alert for the possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting again within a week.