• Following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeast coast, tsunami warnings were issued and subsequently downgraded to advisories, with waves reaching up to 80cm, while thousands were initially urged to seek higher ground.
• Despite the downgraded warnings and no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, Japan remains on high alert for aftershocks, with the meteorological agency warning of an increased risk of a major earthquake in the coming week, and nuclear facilities reported no abnormalities.
Detailed
Earthquake Details: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at 4:53 p.m. local time (07:53 GMT) in the Pacific waters off Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 10 km.
Tsunami Impact:
An initial tsunami wave of 80 cm (31 inches) was recorded at Kuji Port in Iwate approximately 40 minutes after the tremor.
Tsunami warnings were issued for expected waves up to 3 metres (10 feet) for Iwate, Aomori, and Hokkaido prefectures.
Evacuations & Disruption: Over 182,000 residents were issued evacuation directives, and bullet train services (Shinkansen) were temporarily halted between Tokyo and eastern Japan.
Status: The initial warnings were later downgraded to advisories and eventually lifted after several hours.