A magnitude 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan's Tohoku Region on Tuesday at 5:59 am local time, triggering local authorities to issue a tsunami warning. This disaster was a reminder of the deadly 9.1-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 20,000 people in March 2011.

However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) later measured the quake at 6.9-magnitude, while the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) scaled the magnitude at 7.4-magnitude, according to The Guardian.

The tremor was located at a depth of 10 km and was also felt in Japan's capital, Tokyo. A one-meter tsunami hit Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures and a warning was issued for a three-meter-high wave.
There have been no reports on fatalities yet.

Local authorities and national TV stations urged local residents to evacuate to higher ground and prepare for the worst scenario to happen.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suspended its operation, given the highly-disastrous 2011 tragedy that triggered a nuclear meltdown. NHK reported a water cooling system for spent fuel at Fukushima Daini nuclear plant stopped working. However, the company managed to fix it. After more than five years after the 2011 disaster, only two out of 42 reactors can operate.

The earthquake also disrupted public transportation services. Some bullet train services were disrupted and flights to and from Sendai airport were postponed. However, Toyota Motor Corporation's plant still operates as normal, as reported by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is in Argentina during his official visit to the country after his presence at the APEC events in Peru, held an emergency meeting and ordered his ministers to respond quickly.


Japan has long been vulnerable to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where several plates collide and cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The tectonic plates close to Japan move between 3.1 and 3.5 inches per year. Every time they move, they cause frictions, as they may either slip above or beneath the other.

The latest update is that the tsunami warning has been lifted. JMA said that no tsunami damage is expected.

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