TOKYO, Jan 1 — A series of strong earthquakes, with major ones measuring up to 7.6 magnitude, struck the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
A major tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA for Noto region, urging people to evacuate immediately, following tsunami warnings for Niigata, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures of the Japan Sea side of the country.
The quake registered an intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, which peaks at 7, with tremors felt in multiple regions of the Asian country, reported Xinhua.
According to the weather agency, the latest major temblor occurred at 4.10pm local time at a shallow depth.
The temblor’s epicentre was located at Ishikawa’s Noto region Wajima east-northeast 30km at 37.5 degrees north latitude and a longitude of 137.2 degrees east longitude.
Ishikawa Prefecture observed tsunami waves of more than 1.2 metres at 4.21pm local time
According to reports, Toyama Prefecture on the western coast of Japan also reported tsunami waves of 50 centimetres at 4.23pm local time.
Torrents of water could reach as high as 5 metres and authorities urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible, according to NHK.
East Japan Railway Co. suspended operations of all Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines due to the earthquakes, according to a Kyodo News report.
Hokuriku Electric Power Company said more than 36,000 houses are experiencing power outages.
The Japanese government has set up an emergency response office at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, it added.
In SEOUL, South Korea reported small tsunamis in parts of the East Sea on Monday, following the major earthquake off Japan’s west coast.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the 7.6 magnitude quake that struck Ishikawa and nearby prefectures caused minor tsunamis in waters off South Korea’s east coast province of Gangwon on Monday evening, Yonhap news agency reported.
According to the KMA, a wave off the east coast city of Gangneung reached 20 centimetres at 6.01pm, while a wave seen off another coastal town of Donghae was measured at 45 centimetres at 6.05pm.
The KMA issues a tsunami warning when the maximum vertical height of a wave reaches 50 centimetres, although waves at 20 to 30 centimetres can still cause damage.
The KMA noted that the height of a tsunami could increase to a more dangerous level depending on the ebb and flow of the tide, and warned that tsunamis might affect Gangwon for over 24 hours.
Earlier in the day, Gangwon sent tsunami warnings via text messages to residents in six cities and counties by the ocean, urging people near coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.
Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the northwestern coast of the island of Honshu.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it had not yet received any report of injury or damage for South Korean nationals in Japan as of Monday evening.
The foreign ministry said an estimated 1,200 South Koreans reside in Ishikawa Prefecture and another 800 in the adjacent Toyama Prefecture.
— Bernama
