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A powerful earthquake hit Japan’s northern coast on Monday, prompting the country’s meteorological agency to record two tsunami waves, each measuring 40 centimeters. Local media reported some injuries as the quake caused widespread disruption.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake had a magnitude of 7.6 and struck at 2:15 p.m. GMT off Misawa on Japan’s Pacific shoreline, at a depth of 53 kilometers (about 33 miles). The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning, with the initial wave reaching a port in Aomori, near Misawa, at 11:43 a.m. local time (2:43 p.m. GMT).
Later, at 11:50 p.m., another 40-centimeter wave arrived in Urakawa, in Hokkaido. Photographs and footage captured shattered glass scattered across roads, indicating the significant impact. In Hachinohe, a hotel staff member confirmed injuries, and images showed debris and broken glass cluttering the streets.
The tremor was also strongly felt in Sapporo, where residents received alerts on their smartphones. An NHK reporter in Hokkaido described the quake’s horizontal shaking lasting about 30 seconds, making it impossible to stand.
Early warnings from the meteorological agency suggested that a tsunami of up to three meters (around 10 feet) could hit Japan’s Pacific coast. Japan’s location atop four major tectonic plates along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” makes it one of the world’s most tectonically active nations. With roughly 125 million residents, the country experiences about 1,500 tremors annually—most are mild, but their effects can vary dramatically depending on their strength and depth underground.
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