TsunamiJapan lifts Tsunami advisories

Published 22 November 2016

The Japanese authorities have lifted tsunami advisories issued after a powerful earthquake struck the northeast of the country early Tuesday, injuring twenty people. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred at 5:59 a.m., local time, off the coast of Fukushima prefecture. There were no deaths or major damage, but transportation was disrupted and residents of low-lying areas were instructed to leave their homes for higher ground. The quake was felt in Tokyo, about 150 miles away. Nearly 16,000 people were killed and more than 2,500 remain missing from the magnitude 9.1 earthquake that struck Japan’s northeastern regions on 11 March 2011.

The Japanese authorities have lifted tsunami advisories issued after a powerful earthquake struck the northeast of the country early Tuesday, injuring twenty people.

The Japan News reports that the magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred at 5:59 a.m., local time, off the coast of Fukushima prefecture. There were no deaths or major damage, but transportation was disrupted and residents of low-lying areas were instructed to leave their homes for higher ground. The quake was felt in Tokyo, about 150 miles away.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was an aftershock of the magnitude 9 earthquake which caused a destructive tsunami in the region in March 2011, leading to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It warned that Japan’s north-east could face another large quake in the coming. The agency advised residents in the area to be cautious for about a week. And be ready to evacuate on a short notice.

TV news reports showed heavy traffic on the roads leading away from coastal towns and villages, and fishing vessels moving out of ports to sea.

The Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, for which the Japan Meteorological Agency had issued a tsunami warning, have not yet fully recovered from the 2011 quake and tsunami.

The official broadcaster NHK issued evacuation advisories after a tsunami wave measuring 4.6 feet was spotted near the city of Sendai, in Fukushima prefecture. Earlier, the weather agency had warned of waves as high as 9.8 feet, but the tsunami warning was later reduced to a tsunami advisory, before being lifted.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported that a tsunami wave of about 3 feet did make landfall at the still-closed Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned. No damage was caused, and there was no change in radiation levels at the site. The tsunami which struck the plant in 2011 generated waves as high as 133 feet, which spread some six miles inland in some places.

Tokyo Electric Power said that power was lost briefly Tuesday in a cooling tank at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ni nuclear power plant, but was quickly restored, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co.

The quake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, at a depth of 6.2 miles. The quake measured a lower 5 on Japan’s intensity scale, the weather agency said.

Japan News notes that Japan is one of the most seismically active regions of the world and earthquakes occur frequently. Nearly 16,000 people were killed and more than 2,500 remain missing from the magnitude 9.1 earthquake that struck Japan’s northeastern regions on 11 March 2011.