Jan. 1 (UPI) — A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked western Japan Monday afternoon, triggering tsunami alerts and several strong aftershocks as emergency crews ordered some residents to seek higher ground.
The earthquake struck about 26 miles northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture. Authorities warned that tsunami waves could be 10 feet high.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that emergency personnel are working to assess damage from the earthquake so far.
“In response to the M7 earthquake at Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture, we have immediately set up the Prime Minister’s Office of Response, Disaster Counter Measure HQ,” he wrote on X.
“Putting human lives as a priority, we are making every effort to assess damages — putting forth all efforts in disaster response. For those in affected areas, please pay close attention to the latest information and place personal safety as your priority.”
The earliest waves measured about four feet along the Noto Peninsula and around Ishikawa and Niigata. Some have been identified as far north of the Hokkaido Prefecture.
It marked the first time Japan has issued a major tsunami warning since 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude quake struck Tohoku, causing catastrophic damage from deadly tsunami waves.
Officials suspended bullet train service while Japan Airlines and Nippon Airways canceled all fights in the western region. Western Japan hospitals reported power outages but there were no confirmed numbers of possible injuries from the earthquake so far.
Strong aftershocks, ranging from 4.0 to 5.0 magnitude came in a rapid-fire succession of 21 incidents in central Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The country’s nuclear authority said there was “no risk of radioactivity leaking from nuclear power plants” in the affected areas.
Japan sits in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates meet, causing a constant threat of earthquakes that has led it to develop one of the world’s most sophisticated tsunami warning systems.
