Tokyo: Japan lifted its tsunami warning on Tuesday after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northeastern region, injuring at least 30 people and forcing about 90,000 people to evacuate their homes.
According to Thai News Agency, the earthquake struck off the coast at 11:15 PM local time on Monday, which is two hours ahead of Thailand time. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of a potential tsunami up to 3 meters high hitting the northeastern coast of the country. Warnings were issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures. The JMA also reported detecting tsunami waves between 20 and 70 centimeters high at several ports. However, in the early hours of Tuesday, the JMA lowered the warning to a suggestion and later lifted all suggestions. There have been no reports of significant damage.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 80 kilometers off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, at a depth of 54 kilometers. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that she had received reports of 30 injured people and one fire.
Japan East Railway Company (JR East) has suspended some services in areas that were hit by the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake in March 2011. The operator stated that other train services in northern Japan were also experiencing delays.
Following the earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a warning for areas from Hokkaido in the north down to Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, urging residents to be vigilant for the possibility of another strong earthquake within the next week.
Tohoku Electric Power Company and Hokkaido Electric Power Company stated that there were no reports of any malfunctions at the nuclear power plants in the regions under their management, although thousands of households experienced immediate power outages after the earthquake. Power was restored by Tuesday morning.