A powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan. Tsunami waves can reach 3 meters

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck northeastern Japan on Monday. Authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas, where tsunami waves up to 3 meters high are expected.

Earthquake near Japan

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter of the shock was in the Pacific Ocean and its depth was 10 km. Authorities said the largest waves were expected in the prefectures of Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido, far from the most touristic cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. Still, tremors were felt in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers from the earthquake’s epicenter.

High-speed train service in Aomori, on the northern tip of Japan’s main island of Honshu, has been suspended. Broadcaster NHK showed ships leaving the port of Hachinohe in Hokkaido for fear of waves. A message appeared on the screen: “Tsunami! Evacuation!”

The Japanese news website Kyodo reported that no irregularities were reported at nuclear power plants in Aomori and Miyagi prefectures. Inspections are also being carried out at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant (over 460 km away from the city of Aomori), where in 2011 the reactor cores melted as a result of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit the east coast of Japan. Inspections are currently underway.

Seismically active area

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. It is in this country that 20 percent occurs. world earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.

In December 2025, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 occurred approximately 80 km off the coast of Hokkaido and the north-eastern part of Honshu. Then there were two fires and the suspension of some railway connections on the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. There were no losses or irregularities in the operation of nuclear power plants.