A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Friday, days after a larger 7.5-magnitude quake hit the same area, injuring around 50 people. Damage and injuries were not immediately clear.
The quake struck off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Japan’s main island of Honshu, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) at 11:44 a.m. local time, the Associated Press reported.
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7 and was 130 kilometers (81 mi) from the city of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture on the main island of Honshu.
Japan’s NHK broadcaster said the level of shaking was less than that of a larger tremor late Monday that knocked items off shelves, tore up roads, shattered windows and triggered tsunami waves of up to 70 centimeters.
Japan has issued a tsunami warning
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning after the 6.5-magnitude earthquake. The Pacific coast of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures could see a tsunami of up to 1 meter (3.2 feet), the agency added.
A caution is a lower level of caution than a warning.
A tsunami of more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) above high tide was measured at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture before all tsunami warnings were lifted. Power was knocked out to hundreds of homes, but most were restored by Tuesday morning.
Japan earthquake
Friday’s quake followed a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the north earlier this week that caused injuries, minor damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.
At least 50 people were injured in Monday’s earthquake off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of the main Japanese island of Honshu, according to the AFP news agency.
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After Monday’s tremor, the JMA issued a rare special warning warning that another earthquake of similar or larger magnitude was possible for another week.
The advisory covered the Sanriku area on the northeastern tip of Japan’s main island of Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido overlooking the Pacific.
Meanwhile, authorities cited by the Associated Press said there was also a slight increase in the risk of an 8-magnitude earthquake and possible tsunami along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido after Monday’s quake.
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The region is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 dead or missing.
In August 2024, the JMA issued its first special advisory for the southern half of Japan’s Pacific coast, warning of a possible “megaquake” along the Nankai Trough.
Japan sits atop four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is one of the world’s most seismically active countries.
Home to about 125 million people, the archipelago experiences around 1,500 earthquakes each year.
The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and depth below the Earth’s surface.
(With input from agencies)
