A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Fukushima, causing damage to pavement tiles in front of the Fukushima train station, as shown in this photo from March 17, 2022. (Image Credit: STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)
A tsunami warning has been issued for Fukushima after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the country's east coast, Japanese officials said.
A statement translated by the Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake struck 36 miles (60 kilometers) beneath the sea at about 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday (March 16), shaking buildings in Tokyo, knocking people off their feet and leaving 2 million homes without power. The agency issued a tsunami warning, saying waves up to 3 feet (1 meter) high could hit Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.
Fukushima was the site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck the regional nuclear power plant in 2011. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan killed about 20,000 people and destroyed more than 120,000 buildings. The tsunami knocked out the power grid connected to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing its cooling system to shut down, causing three of its six reactors to melt down and releasing radioactive material into the ocean.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote on Twitter that the government was assessing damage from the quake, but warned citizens to “take steps to save your own lives first.”
There have been no reports of casualties from the quake so far. Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the now-closed Fukushima plant, said on Twitter that it was investigating the impact of the quake on its facilities, but workers had found no abnormalities at the site. There were also no reports of damage at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture, according to Tohoku Electric Power.
While the initial threat appears to have passed, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno warned citizens to remain vigilant for possible aftershocks.
“There is a possibility that another earthquake of up to magnitude 6 could occur within the next week or so,” Matsuno said at a news conference. “We need to be on guard.”
Originally published on Live Science.
Ben TurnerNavigate Social LinksSenior Staff Writer
Ben Turner is a staff writer for Live Science based in the UK. He writes about physics and astronomy, and also covers topics like technology and climate change. He studied particle physics at University College London before becoming a journalist. In his spare time, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing guitar, and embarrassing himself at chess.
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