A powerful 7.5 earthquake hit central Japan on Monday, the USGS said, prompting tsunami warnings and authorities to urge people in the area to move to higher ground.” All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” national broadcaster NHK said after the quake hit the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around 4:10 pm (0710 GMT).
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Explained In 50 Words | Why Is There Tsunami In Japan?
The first tsunami waves, some over a metre high, arrived on the north coast of central Japan after a series of powerful earthquakes. Waves as high as 1.2 meters hit Wajima port, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, after the USGS and other agencies registered a 7.5 magnitude quake 10 minutes earlier.
No abnormalities were reported after a series of major earthquakes rocked central Japan today, the country’s government said. “It has been confirmed that there are no abnormalities at Shika nuclear power plant (in Ishikawa) and other stations as of now,” spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
Several major highways have been closed around the epicentre of a series of major earthquakes in central Japan, the road operator said. Shinkansen bullet train services were also suspended between Tokyo and the epicentre in the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture on the Sea of Japan side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Japan Railways said.