A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan late Monday night, injuring at least 33 people and triggering widespread panic across several prefectures. The strong quake was followed by multiple aftershocks, prompting Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue an alert for a potential “megaquake,” warning residents of heightened seismic risk.
Authorities said nearly 90,000 people were forced to evacuate as a precaution. The JMA initially warned of a tsunami up to 3 metres (10 feet) along the northeastern coastline. By early Tuesday, the warning was downgraded to an advisory and later withdrawn entirely.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed that around 30 people were initially reported injured, a number that climbed to 33 as fresh reports came in. The government noted that a previous projection from March had already highlighted fears of a future “megaquake” that could cause massive casualties and trillions in economic damage. Monday’s tremors have now intensified monitoring.
A tsunami of up to 70 cm (2 ft 4 in) was recorded at the Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, while other nearby coastal areas experienced waves up to 50 cm. NHK reported minor damage to oyster farming rafts.
The quake, which struck near Aomori prefecture at 11:15 p.m. local time at a depth of 50 km, registered a severe shaking intensity of upper 6 on Japan’s seismic scale. The tremors were strong enough to be felt in parts of Tokyo, more than 550 km away.
All tsunami advisories were officially lifted by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, but authorities remain on high alert as aftershocks continue.
