Earthquake shakes Japan, major tsunami warning issued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which occurred around 4:10 p.m. on Monday, also shook buildings in central Tokyo. It reached a maximum of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa. A 1.2-meter-high tsunami struck Wajima port in the area.

Cracks in the road caused by an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on January 1, 2024. Photo: Kyodo

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama. Russia also issued a tsunami warning for the far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage and people need to prepare for any further tremors. He said, “People need to be vigilant about possible further earthquakes, and I urge people in areas prone to tsunamis to evacuate as soon as possible.”

Video broadcast by NHK showed a building collapsing in a cloud of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and residents in the city of Kanazawa huddled under tables as the earthquake shook their homes. The earthquake also shook buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

A house collapsed after an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on January 1, 2024. Photo: Kyodo

Hokuriku Electric Power, the power provider, said more than 36,000 households were without electricity in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures. According to their website, high-speed rail services to Ishikawa were suspended, while telecommunications operators Softbank and KDDI reported disruptions to telephone and internet services in Ishikawa and Niigata.

Japanese airline ANA turned four planes heading towards airports in Toyama and Ishikawa mid-air after the earthquake, while Japan Airlines canceled most flights to the Niigata and Ishikawa areas for the remainder of the day.

Areas and levels of tsunami warnings currently in effect in Japan. Photo and source: Japan Meteorological Agency.

Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority said no abnormalities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of ​​Japan, including the five operational reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

The agency said that Hokuriku's Shika plant in Ishikawa, closest to the earthquake's epicenter, had shut down two reactors before the earthquake for routine inspections and found no damage from the earthquake.

A massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, killing nearly 20,000 people, devastating towns, and causing a nuclear explosion in Fukushima.

Huy Hoang (according to Kyodo, Reuters)

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