Tokyo: Tokyo was rocked by a powerful earthquake and a subsequent tsunami on Monday evening, causing widespread panic and damage in Ishikawa province and other parts of the country. The quake, which struck at 14:42 JST, had a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale and was centered at a shallow depth of 8.7 kilometers, about 49 kilometers northeast of Anamizu town in Hōsu District. It was followed by another strong quake of magnitude 5.0 and more than 50 aftershocks, some of which were felt as far away as Tokyo.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami warning for the Sea of Japan coast, alerting residents of the potential danger of waves up to 5 meters high. The agency also advised people to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground or the upper floors of buildings. The warning was lifted about two hours later after the tsunami waves had subsided.
According to the JMA, the highest tsunami wave recorded was 1.4 meters at Wajima port in Ishikawa. Other coastal areas also reported waves of over 1 meter, such as Nanao and Noto in Ishikawa, and Takaoka and Himi in Toyama. The tsunami caused flooding and damage to some buildings and infrastructure along the shore.
The earthquake also triggered landslides, power outages, and fires in some areas. At least one person was killed and 23 others were injured, mostly in Ishikawa. More than 700 buildings were damaged or collapsed, and about 100 people sought shelter at evacuation centers. The quake also disrupted transportation and communication services, as well as some nuclear power plants, which reported no abnormalities.
The earthquake was the largest to hit Ishikawa since 2023 when a magnitude 6.3 quake caused one death and 44 injuries. It was also the strongest to hit Japan since the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 16,000 people and triggered a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
