A powerful earthquake measuring 6.9 rattled northern Japan on Sunday evening, prompting a tsunami advisory and a series of aftershocks across the region, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The quake struck off the coast of Iwate Prefecture at 5:03 p.m. local time at a depth of 16 kilometres.
While there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, authorities said they were monitoring the situation closely, including operations at two nearby nuclear power plants, which reported no abnormalities.
The agency initially issued a tsunami advisory warning of waves up to one metre along the northern coast, later cautioning that some areas could experience waves as high as three metres.
Tsunami waves measuring between 10 and 20 centimetres were detected in several coastal cities including Ofunato, Miyako, Kamaishi, Ominato and Kuji.
Officials warned residents to stay away from coastal areas, saying additional tremors and waves could follow. The advisory was lifted about three hours later, but seismologists warned that the region remains at risk of strong aftershocks over the next week.
The quake was felt across Iwate and as far north as Hokkaido. Bullet train services were briefly suspended as a precaution but later resumed.
Northeastern Japan, which lies along the seismically active Pacific “ring of fire,” is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone regions. The area was devastated in 2011 by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, killing nearly 20,000 people and displacing thousands more.
Authorities said Sunday’s quake did not appear to be directly connected to the 2011 event but was another reminder of the region’s vulnerability to powerful seismic activity.
