A strong earthquake struck at the northern Japanese coast, and a tsunami alert was issued in the region by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The tremors that hit at a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 pm (0753 GMT), at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles) below the sea surface.
Following the tremors, tsunami warnings werev issued for regions inlcuding Iwate Prefecture, the central part of the Hokkaido Pacific coast, and the Aomori Prefecture Pacific coast. Residents have been urged to immediately evacuate to higher ground or evacuation buildings and other higher and safer regions.
In a post on X, Japanese Prime Minister SanaeTakaichi said,"At around 4:53 p.m. today, an earthquake with its epicenter off the Sanriku coast occurred, and a strong shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of 5 on the Japanese scale was observed in Aomori. In addition, tsunami warnings have been issued for Iwate Prefecture, the central part of the Hokkaido Pacific coast, and the Aomori Prefecture Pacific coast. Residents in areas where tsunami warnings have been issued should immediately evacuate to higher ground or evacuation buildings and other higher, safer locations."
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She added, "As the government, immediately after the earthquake, we established the "Prime Minister's Office Contact Room" in the "Prime Minister's Office Crisis Management Center" and, based on my instructions, are fully committed to responses such as grasping the damage situation, emergency disaster measures including lifesaving and rescue, and providing timely and accurate information to the public. At this time, we have received a report that "human and material damage is currently being confirmed," but from now on, we will receive detailed reports and address the disaster response."
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