Voice 9, International Desk: Reports
from the media claim that a powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of
7.6 struck north-central Japan on Monday. In response to this, the Japan
Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the coastal regions of
Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama prefectures. The agency has stated that people
facing a tsunami of over 1 meter are at a high risk of being unable to stand
and may face the possibility of death.
NHK has reported that the
height of the tsunami at Wajima Port has been increasing since the initial
waves, although the exact measurements are yet to be determined. The major
tsunami warning issued for the Noto Peninsula area is the highest level of
alert out of the three warnings and is comparable to the one issued after the
devastating March 2011 earthquake in the Tohoku region.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida,
speaking to reporters in the evening, urged residents in the affected areas to
remain vigilant in case of strong earthquakes. He also requested that those in
areas expecting tsunamis evacuate as soon as possible.
The Meteorological Agency
reported that the Noto Peninsula experienced multiple aftershocks following the
initial magnitude 7.6 earthquake, accompanied by tsunami warnings. As of 5:40
p.m., the agency recorded seven earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher within
the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture and off the coast of the Noto Peninsula.
Across Japan, a total of nine earthquakes were registered.
At around 4:35 p.m., Toyama
Prefecture witnessed waves measuring 80 cm, while Kashiwazaki in Niigata
Prefecture experienced waves of 0.4 meters at 4:36 p.m. Kanazawa Port in
Ishikawa observed 40 cm waves around 5:04 p.m. Additionally, waves were
reported in Yamagata prefecture and Niigata's Sado Island.
The anticipated path of the
tsunami included Fukui, Hyogo, Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Kyoto, and Tottori
prefectures on the Sea of Japan side, as well as the Oki Islands, which are
part of Shimane Prefecture.
