Residents of the Japanese region hit by a large earthquake on January 1 should stay alert for further major tremors, authorities say. There is a 10 to 20 percent chance of another similar-sized earthquake striking within the next week, a Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) offical told a Tokyo news conference.
The New Year's Day quake that hit the Noto peninsula had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The shaking it caused measured a 7 on the Japanese shindo scale, the highest possible value.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 hit north central Japan on Monday, public broadcaster NHK said. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning along coastal regions of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama prefectures.
North and South Korea brace for tsunami after Japan quake
A tsunami measuring under one metre (3.3 ft) reached South Korea's east coast in the wake of a massive earthquake that hit Japan, South Korea's meteorological agency said, which added there may be more and larger waves in the next hours.
Eyewitness footage captured the moment tsunami waves hit the shore of Japan's coastal Joetsu city in Niigata Prefecture on Monday (January 1) after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit central Japan. A tsunami around one metre (3.3 feet) high struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama. However, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.
The powerful earthquake that struck Japan, triggered the first major tsunami alert since 2011, a Japanese official told reporters in Tokyo. A spokesperson from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Toshihiro Shimoyama said on Monday evening that the alert was still in effect and urged those near the coast to flee to higher ground.
The magnitude 7.6 quake also triggered tsunami warnings in South Korea, North Korea and Russia. A major tsunami warning means there is a possibility of waves of more than 3 metres (9.8 feet) in height. The first tsunami to reach South Korea's coast was 67 cm (2.2 ft), but it may increase in size after the initial waves and may continue for more than 24 hours, the meteorological agency said.
Separately, North Korea issued tsunami warnings for its coast of possible waves of more than 2 metres, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing the North's state radio. South Korea's Gangwon province warned residents to take precautions and evacuate to higher ground, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.
The east coast province told residents in emergency messages to stay away from the coast and evacuate to higher ground. The city of Samcheok advised residents to move to areas higher than a three-storey building, the ministry said.
