Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Hits Japan, Tsunami Advisory Issued

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 hit Japan’s northeastern region on Friday, after which a tsunami advisory was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The earthquake struck off the coast of Aomori prefecture at 11:44 a.m. local time (02:44 GMT) at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles), reports JMA.

Damage and injuries weren't immediately clear.

Friday's quake followed a 7.5 magnitude earthquake earlier this week in the north that caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.

At least 34 people were injured in that earlier quake on Monday off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main Honshu island.

An advisory is a lower level of caution than a warning.

Friday's quake followed a 7.5 magnitude earthquake earlier this week in the north that caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.

A tsunami more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) above tide levels was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture before all tsunami advisories were lifted. Power was knocked out for hundreds of homes but was mostly restored Tuesday morning.

The authorities had warned of possible aftershocks.

Officials said after Monday's earthquake, there was also a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido.

The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one.

The quakes occurred in the coastal region, where a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says Monday's powerful quake temporarily increased potential risks in the regions of Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast. That's where the Pacific Plate beneath Japan forms the two trenches — the Japan Trench and Chishima Trench — that have caused many large quakes in the past.

Experts say the deadly quake and tsunami in 2011 were caused by movement associated with the Japan Trench. It spans from off the eastern coast of Chiba to Aomori, and the Chishima Trench goes from the eastern coast of Hokkaido to the northern islands and the Kurils.

In explaining the advisory, the JMA said the magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11, 2011, that devastated large swaths of Japan's northern coast occurred two days after a magnitude 7.3 temblor that occurred at the Japan Trench off the eastern coast of Iwate, one of the hardest-hit areas in that disaster, as well as in Monday's quake.

The 2011 quake caused a tsunami that battered northern coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The tsunami, which topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, slammed into and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. That created deep fears of radiation that linger to this day.

A megaquake could cause a 98-foot tsunami and kill nearly 200,000.

(with inputs from PTI)