Japan Earthquake: Japan shaken by strong earthquake on the first day of the new year, intensity 7.4, tsunami warning issued
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An earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck north-central Japan, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the country’s northwest coast. The earthquake struck Ishikawa and surrounding prefectures, one of which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), according to the Associated Press. A tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA for western coastal areas of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama prefectures, Reuters reports. According to The Japan Times report, earthquake tremors were felt in the capital Tokyo and the Kanto region.
People were urged to quickly leave coastal areas and move to the tops of buildings or to higher ground due to fears of waves up to 5 meters high following a tsunami warning, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Waves more than 1 meter high hit the coast of Wajima city in Ishikawa, according to NHK. There is no report of any damage or casualties so far. Hokuriku Electric Power said it was investigating any irregularities at its nuclear power plants, Reuters reported, citing NHK.
Japan is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the unstable Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates interact frequently.
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