Tokyo, Dec 9: Northern Japan braced for aftershocks and tsunami risks following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake late Monday that left 23 people injured and prompted evacuations along the Pacific coast.
The quake struck 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, Aomori, and 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface. “You need to prepare, assuming that a disaster like that could happen again,” Satoshi Harada, an official in the Meteorological Agency’s earthquake division, said, recalling the 2011 magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami.
About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base, with 18 defense helicopters dispatched for damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. Approximately 200 passengers spent the night stranded at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido.
Nuclear facilities in the region were undergoing safety checks. The Nuclear Regulation Authority reported a minor spill of 450 liters (118 gallons) from a cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori but said water levels remained within safe limits.
Satoshi Kato, vice principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, described panicked residents as he drove to the school-turned-evacuation center. “Glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor. Traffic jams and car accidents were everywhere,” he told NHK.
Authorities cautioned residents in 182 municipalities along northeastern Japan to stay alert for aftershocks and monitor emergency information. All tsunami advisories for northern Japan’s Pacific coastline were lifted by 6:20 a.m. Tuesday.
