Japan warns of heightened risk for magnitude 8.0+ quakes after a 7.7 tremor triggers tsunami waves and mass evacuations in the north.
TOKYO: Japan has issued a special advisory warning of an increased risk of earthquakes at magnitude 8.0 or stronger.
The warning follows a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake that struck off northern Iwate prefecture.
The tremor prompted tsunami warnings and non-compulsory evacuation directives for over 182,000 residents.
A tsunami wave measuring 80 centimetres later hit a port in Kuji, Iwate.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the likelihood of a new, huge earthquake is “relatively higher than during normal times”.
It urged residents to review preparedness measures but stressed this reflected an elevated risk rather than a specific prediction.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or significant damage. National broadcaster NHK footage showed no clearly visible damage around several ports in the affected region.
Officials warned that strong aftershocks could strike the area over the coming week. They particularly highlighted the risk within the next two to three days.
Tsunami warnings were later downgraded to advisories along the vast northeastern Pacific coast. These advisories were lifted altogether around midnight, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi activated a crisis management team. “For those of you who live in areas for which the warnings have been issued, please evacuate to higher, safer places,” she said.
Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries. It experiences around 1,500 jolts every year, accounting for about 18% of the world’s earthquakes.
The nation remains haunted by the memory of the massive 2011 quake and tsunami. That disaster killed or left missing around 18,500 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
In 2024, the weather agency issued its first special advisory of a possible “megaquake” along the Nankai Trough. A government estimate says a quake there could kill up to 298,000 people and cause USD 2 trillion in damage.
Another week-long “megaquake” advisory was issued in December 2025. It followed a magnitude-7.5 tremor off the northern coast that injured more than 40 people.
