Japan issues tsunami alert after massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Sanriku coast

An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck Japan’s northeast off the coast of Sanriku on April 20.

After the earthquake the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued tsunami alert for the Japanese coasts.

The earthquake struck at 4:53 pm Japanese Standard Times (JST). It’s depth was located 10 km below the earth’s surface, as per the JMA.
Regions under tsunami warning or advisory

The “evacuate immediately” tsunami alert was issued at 4:55 pm (Japan local time). Eastern Hokkaido Pacific Coast, Western Hokkaido Pacific Coast, Aomori Prefecture Pacific Coast, Miyagi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture are potentially affected areas.

No immediate reports of damage or destruction have surfaced as of yet.

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The maximum seismic intensity of the earthquake was 5 on the Japanese scale which was observed in Aomori, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The tsunami warnings have been issued for Iwate Prefecture, the central part of the Hokkaido Pacific coast, and the Aomori Prefecture Pacific coast, she said.

“Residents in areas where tsunami warnings have been issued should immediately evacuate to higher ground or evacuation buildings and other higher, safer locations,” Takaichi wrote.

“As the government, immediately after the earthquake, we established the “Prime Minister’s Office Contact Room” in the “Prime Minister’s Office Crisis Management Center” and, based on my instructions, are fully committed to responses such as grasping the damage situation, emergency disaster measures including lifesaving and rescue, and providing timely and accurate information to the public,” she added.

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