7.5 7.5 earthquake shakes Japan, causing tsunami in northern part of country

A powerful earthquake hit northern Japan at the end of local time, causing a 28-centimeter tsunami in Pacific Coast communities, said the Japanese meteorological agency. The center reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 7.5, down from its previous estimate of 7.6.

The earthquake struck at about 11: 15 PM (9: 15 am et) In the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles off the coast of Aomori, the northern region of Honsu Island of Japan, the agency said.

A tsunami of 70 centimeters (about 28 centimeters) was measured at the port of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture, and tsunamis of up to 50 centimeters) attacked other coastal communities in the region, the agency said.

The agency had issued a warning of a possible tsunami of up to 10 meters in some areas and later downplayed the threat.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Chicinonu Kihara urged residents to move to higher ground or seek shelter until the advisory is lifted.

Japan’s weather agency has issued a warning about possible rain in the coming days. There is a slight increase in the risk of a maggitide 8-Level Quake and tsunami that may occur in northeastern Japan along the coast from Chiba, east of Tokyo, to Hokkoido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to check their emergency preparedness in the coming week.

Monday’s earthquake struck north of the Aomori city of Hachinohe, and is about 30 miles below sea level, the agency said. Residents of Hachinohe are fleeing their homes to seek shelter at City Hall, public broadcaster NHK said.

An NHK reporter in Hokkaido described a horizontal shaking of about 30 seconds that allowed him to continue standing as the earthquake struck. The earthquake was also felt in the northern part of the Sapporo HUB, where alarms went off on smartphones to alert residents.

The fire and disaster management center said 23 people were injured, including several seriously. Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, Nhk reported, adding that several people were injured at a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly injured when his car fell into a ditch.

Nuclear power plants in the region were undergoing safety checks, Kihara said. The Nuclear Accountability Authority said that 118 liters of water was spilled from the cooling unit at the Rokkasho fuel plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there were no safety concerns.

Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity, and that Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in some parts of the region.

About 480 residents were trapped at the Hachinohe AIL BASE, and 18 helicopters were deployed to assess the damage, Defense Minister Shinijirō Koizumi said.

Nearly 200 passengers were stranded overnight at Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported.

“I’ve never seen such a strong tremor,” convenience store owner Nonuo Yamada told NHK in Hachinohe, adding that the “lucky” power line still runs through his place.

Satoshi Kato, the principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, told NHK that he was at home when the quake struck, and that glass and glass fell and shards fell on the floor.

Kato said that he went to school because he was appointed by the immigration center, and on the way he encountered cars and car accidents as panicked people tried to escape. No one ever came to the school to take shelter, she said.

The US National Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami risk for the US West Coast, Canada, British Columbia or Alaska.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a brief press conference, said the government is setting up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of the damage. “We put people’s lives first and do everything we can,” he said.

Later, he urged residents in the region to pay attention to the latest information from the local municipality: “Please be prepared to escape as soon as possible.”

Japan sits on top of four major tectonic plates on the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is one of the most active countries in the world.

The island, home to about 125 million people, experiences about 1,500 jolts every year.

Most people are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and depth underground.