Strong quake prompts tsunami warning for Japan’s western coast

January 1, 2024 2

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Japan was rocked Monday by a powerful earthquake measuring a 7 on Japan’s shindo scale — the strongest rating — prompting tsunami warnings for the length of the country’s western coast and inflicting widespread damage.

Tsunami waves were recorded in some areas following the magnitude 7.6 quake, which struck near Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula at around 4:10 p.m. It was followed by several strong aftershocks.

Two people were feared dead in Nanao on the Noto Peninsula, police said, after they were both found showing no vital signs. Authorities in Japan do not typically confirm deaths until determined by a coroner.

At least six others were also said to be trapped in collapsed buildings in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. A large-scale fire also broke out in the city following the quake, while several other municipalities reported collapsed houses.

Several injuries were reported, including two women who were taken to hospitals after falling or being hit by falling objects in Awara, Fukui Prefecture, local authorities said. A woman in her 80s in Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, fell while evacuating and suffered a head injury.

In Ishikawa, approximately 32,500 homes lost power.

A man watches TV screens in Osaka showing news of a powerful earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula area in Ishikawa Prefecture on Monday.
| KYODO

A total of more than 51,000 people in five prefectures were instructed to evacuate, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

About 1,000 residents and others evacuated to an Air Self-Defense Force base in Wajima, and the SDF is responding by distributing blankets, water and food, the Defense Ministry said.

Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase asked the SDF to send members on a disaster relief mission, according to the central government.

The quake’s epicenter was in the Noto region, which is prone to major earthquakes. Its depth was very shallow, according to the weather agency.

No abnormalities were reported at nuclear plants in the country after the earthquake, the government said.

East Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended operations of all Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines due to the earthquake.