Japan has lifted all tsunami warnings and advisories issued after Monday's powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the country's northeastern coast. The highest tsunami waves recorded were around 80cm in Iwate prefecture, with no deaths or major damage reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued the second-highest tsunami warning, expecting waves of up to three metres, but later downgraded to advisories and finally lifted them by midnight. However, authorities warned that the risk of another, even more powerful earthquake – potentially magnitude 8.0 or higher – would remain elevated for up to a week.
More than 170,000 people were advised to evacuate across several prefectures, though evacuation orders have since been lifted. Minor injuries were reported during the rush, including an elderly woman who fractured her arm in Hokkaido and an octogenarian man who broke his leg in Iwate. Some 100 homes were left without power, and bullet train services were halted for several hours.
Government spokesperson Minoru Kihara confirmed no deaths, but urged citizens to prepare for possible further tremors. The JMA noted the chance of a megaquake was ten times higher than usual, at around one per cent probability. The International Atomic Energy Agency said no abnormalities were observed at Japan's nuclear facilities.
Japan, situated on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing about 20 per cent of global quakes of magnitude 6 or higher. Monday's event recalled the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed 18,000 people and caused a nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
