Massive earthquake jolts Japan followed by a tsunami

By Agencies and published by CNA

Tokyo – A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit central Japan today (Jan. 1), triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents to evacuate.

A tsunami around one-metre high struck parts of the coast along the Sea of Japan with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported.

“All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” it said after the quake hit the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around 4.10 p.m. (2.10 p.m. in Thailand).

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.

Hazardous tsunami waves of up to five metres were possible along the north coast of central Japan today within 300km of the quake’s epicentre, US and Japanese agencies said.

“Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300km of the epicentre along the coasts of Japan,” the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said, while JMA warned the waves could be up to 5m high.

A tsunami of 1.2m was confirmed to have arrived in Wajima city in Ishikawa prefecture.

The JMA said the Noto region, on the Sea of Japan side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, experienced a rapid succession of quakes, starting with a 5.7 magnitude tremor at 4.06 p.m. local time.

This was followed by a 7.6-magnitude quake at 4.10 p.m., a 6.1-magnitude quake at 4.18 p.m., a 4.5-magnitude one at 4.23 p.m., a 4.6-magnitude quake at 4.29 p.m., and a 4.8 magnitude quake at 4.32 p.m.

Another quake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit soon after, the US Geological Survey said.

The largest of the quakes prompted broadcasters to switch to special programming and make urgent calls for affected residents to leave for higher ground.

“We realise your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else. Run to the highest ground possible,” a presenter on broadcaster NHK told viewers.

“No abnormalities at power plants”

No abnormalities have been reported in nuclear plants so far after a series of major earthquakes rocked central Japan today, the government said.

“It has been confirmed that there are no abnormalities at Shika nuclear power plant (in Ishikawa) and other stations as of now,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Hokuriku’s Shikha plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake’s epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said.

Footage aired by NHK appeared to show buildings collapsing in Ishikawa, and tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

More than 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.

Several major highways were closed today around the epicentre, the road operator said.

Shinkansen bullet train services were also suspended between Tokyo and the epicentre in the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture on the Sea of Japan side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Japan Railways said.

Japan has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong earthquakes and routinely holds emergency drills to prepare for a major jolt.

But the country is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake off northeastern Japan in March 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

The 2011 tsunami also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

In March 2022, a 7.4-magnitude quake off the coast of Fukushima shook large areas of eastern Japan, killing three people.

The capital Tokyo was devastated by a huge earthquake a century ago in 1923.

CAPTIONS:

Top: Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan on Jan. 1, 2024, following an earthquake. Photo: Kyodo News via AP and published by CNA

Insert: A torii gate is damaged after an earthquake at a shrine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan on Jan. 1, 2024. Photo: Kyodo News via AP and published by CNA

Front Page: A tsunami warning is shown on TV in Yokohama, near Tokyo on Jan. 1, 2024. Photo: AP/Eugene Hoshiko and published by CNA

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