On Monday afternoon, a powerful earthquake with an estimated preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck north-central Japan. A tsunami warning was promptly issued for the coastal regions of Niigata, Toyama, and Ishikawa prefectures by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
One of the recorded earthquakes, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, struck Ishikawa and neighboring prefectures, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. According to NHK, waves that were more than a meter high struck the coast of Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Additionally, NHK TV issued a warning that water torrents could rise as high as five meters (16.5 feet) and asked residents to evacuate as soon as possible to higher ground or the top of a nearby building. There were no immediate reports of any losses.
Japan still suffers from the aftermath of a powerful underwater 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeastern coast of the country in March 2011, causing a tsunami that killed or left some 18,500 people missing. Three people died as a result of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that rocked much of eastern Japan in March 2022, off the coast of Fukushima. In 1923, a massive earthquake completely destroyed Tokyo, the nation’s capital.
