7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan Causing Tsunami Waves

The Japan Broadcasting Corporation reported that a preliminary 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck central-northern Japan on Monday, resulting in powerful tsunami waves.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning along the coastal regions of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama prefectures on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu island.

According to the agency, waves up to 1.2 meters high hit the port of Wajima in Ishikawa at 16:21 local time (07:21 GMT).

![BIKASH KUMAR JHA's Tweet](https://t.co/XMMEG8zcR6 "7.6-magnitude earthquake hits western #Japan. Reports of damage coming in")

The agency believes that tsunami waves reaching approximately 5 meters high have reached Noto in the same prefecture.

Local media reported that the Hokuriku Electric Power Company is checking for any malfunctions at its nuclear power plants.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on national television that while the authorities are still assessing the extent of the damages, residents should be prepared for potential aftershocks.

Kishida added, "Residents must remain vigilant for possible further quakes and I urge those in areas expected to be hit by tsunami waves to evacuate as soon as possible."

Television broadcasts showed a building collapsing into a column of dust in the coastal city of Suzu, and footage also caught residents in Kanazawa trembling beneath tables as their homes were shaken by the quakes. The earthquake was felt as vibrations in buildings in Tokyo, located on the opposite coast.

![リョーサン🦊Expanding sea♠'s Tweet](https://t.co/4O933Hes47)

## Power Outages

The powerful earthquake also caused power outages to about 33,500 homes in areas surrounding the earthquake's epicenter, mainly the prefectures of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Niigata.

Major highways in the region close to the earthquake's center were closed, and Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and the earthquake's center near Noto in Ishikawa were suspended, according to the Japanese Railway Company.

In other developments, a "warning" status was declared in cities in the far east of Russia, due to the potential risk of a tsunami resulting from the earthquake, but no evacuation operations have been carried out so far.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry stated via Telegram: "Tsunami waves may reach beaches on the western coast of Sakhalin." Authorities in Vladivostok recommended fishermen return to port.