A very violent earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale occurred this morning, Monday 20 April, in northern Japan. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (Jma), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter off the east coast of Japan: the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate all received a tsunami warning along their Pacific coasts.
Violent earthquake in Japan
According to the first information arriving from the local media, the tremors were different and intense, so violent that they caused large buildings to shake as far away as Tokyo, which is located several hundred kilometers from the epicentre. According to the latest Jma update, a tsunami with 80 centimeter waves hit a port in northern Japan. The wave was observed at 5.34pm local time (10.34am in Italy) in a port in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture.
Trains suspended, checks at the Onagawa power station
The seismic swarm and the tsunami warning have alarmed all the authorities. According to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News, the high-speed train connecting the capital Tokyo with the northern city of Aomori stopped running following the strong earthquake, while some officials were sent to check for any damage or anomalies at the Onagawa nuclear power plant.
Sanae Takaichi’s alert
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents of the areas affected by the earthquake to seek safety in higher areas. “The government has immediately established a liaison office at the Prime Minister’s Crisis Management Centre. I have assigned teams to assess the damage and provide information to the public. Those in the most affected areas are asked to remain alert for possible aftershocks of similar intensity.”