Tokyo
\nA 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck western Japan on Monday afternoon, triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia and prompting a warning for residents to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan as soon as possible.
\nThe earthquake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), around 42 kilometers (26 miles) northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
\nThe Japan Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami warning along coastal regions of western Japan, and the first waves were reported hitting the coast just over 10 minutes later.
\nSome of the first reports came from the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture, which saw tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) around 4:21 p.m., according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. No immediate damage was reported.
\nSuzu city officials in Ishikawa told CNN that buildings have been damaged and there were reports of injuries. Police in the city said some people were trapped in damaged houses, according to NHK. No deaths have been reported so far.
\nA major tsunami warning was in place in the city of Noto in Ishikawa, with waves of around 5 meters expected, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
\nIt was the first major tsunami warning to be issued since 2011, according to a spokesman from Ishikawa prefecture\u2019s disaster management agency.
\nUnder Japan\u2019s tsunami warning system, waves expected less than 1 meter fall under \u201ctsunami advisory,\u201d while those expected above 3 meters fall under \u201ctsunami warning\u201d and waves expected above 5 meters fall under \u201cmajor tsunami warning.\u201d
\nIn a televised address earlier, Japan\u2019s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi urged people living in areas under tsunami warnings to evacuate to higher ground.
\nFootage from NHK showed cameras shaking vigorously as waves slammed into the coastline when the quake hit Ishikawa prefecture.
\nHouses were also rocked by the earthquake, with images showing collapsed roofs and shaken foundations.
\nSome services of Japan\u2019s Shinkansen bullet trains were suspended.
\nSocial media videos showed the aftermath of the quake, with store aisles strewn with goods. One clip filmed from inside a train showed signposts on the platform rocking intensely with the tremor.
\nMore than 32,500 homes in Ishikawa prefecture were left without power following the quake, according to the Hokuriku Electric Power Company.
\nJapan\u2019s Kansai Electric Power Company said in a statement on X that no abnormality had been reported at nuclear plants in the area.
\nThe powerful quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, according to the USGS.
\nA 6.2 magnitude aftershock at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) struck at 4:18 p.m. local time around 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) southwest of Anamizu, according to the USGS.
\nSome 58 kilometers (about 36 miles) away, tremors of 5.2 magnitude were recorded, and another 5.6 magnitude aftershock was reported closer to the initial quake, according to the USGS.
\nThe country\u2019s weather agency warned that powerful aftershocks could continue over the next three days to a week, and cautioned against potential building collapses and landslides.
\nJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were working to assess potential damage in affected areas.
\n\u201cWe have immediately set up the Prime Minister\u2019s Office of Response – Disaster Counter Measure HQ. Putting human lives as priority, we are making every effort to assess damages \u2013 putting forth all efforts in disaster response,\u201d the prime minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tokyo A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck western Japan on Monday afternoon, triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia and prompting a warning for residents to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan as soon as possible. The earthquake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), around 42 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-378168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n