Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a warning of earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater in the country. This warning was issued just hours after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday evening.
The earthquake struck at 4:53 pm in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of northern Iwate Prefecture. This shock was so strong that it shook even the big buildings of the capital Tokyo. Tokyo is hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter of the earthquake.
According to the Japan Today newspaper, the probability of a new mega-earthquake is much higher than usual. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, local administrations in the affected area issued non-mandatory evacuation instructions for more than 182,000 residents. A tsunami wave 80 centimeters high hit a port in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, about 40 minutes after the earthquake, according to the agency.
Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told in the press conference that no major damage has been reported yet. Video footage from national broadcaster NHK also showed no apparent damage around several ports in Iwate. But officials reiterated that a strong earthquake could hit the region in the coming week, especially within the next two to three days.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the government is trying to find out if there were any casualties or any serious damage to property. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, “For those of you who live in areas for which warnings have been issued, please move to higher and safer ground.”
It is noteworthy that Japan is one of the most earthquake active countries in the world. It sits above four main tectonic plates located on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean Ring of Fire.
Home to about 125 million people, the archipelago typically experiences about 1,500 aftershocks each year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s earthquakes. Most of these earthquakes are mild, although the damage they cause depends on their location and the depth below the Earth’s surface at which they occur.
Japan is still haunted by the memory of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in 2011. About 18,500 people were killed or missing in the tsunami that followed the earthquake and massive destruction at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The Meteorological Department has issued its first special warning for a possible mega earthquake near the Nankai Trough in 2024. This 800 kilometer long oceanic trench is where the subducting oceanic tectonic plate of the Philippine Sea is slowly slipping beneath the continental plate on which Japan sits.
The government says an earthquake in the Nankai Trough and subsequent tsunami could kill 298,000 people and cause up to $2 trillion in damage.
A major earthquake warning was issued after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the northern coast in December 2025. More than 40 people were injured in this earthquake, but there was no major damage.
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