Japan is facing a national emergency as an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Japan, and now tsunami waves are hitting the country.
At approximately 6 pm (JST) local time, Japan raised the alarm that an earthquake hit the Sanriku coast, to the country’s east.
The impact was recorded as being at a depth of approximately 10km, 100km off Japan’s eastern coast, per Japan’s meteorological agency.
As a result, an emergency warning has been issued for coastal areas, as well as a tsunami warning and subsequent advisory notices.
According to NHK news, people in 11 towns around the northeast, have been told to evacuate, with Japan’s prime minister confirming a task force has been set up to deal with potential destruction.
Sanae Takichi, who is the first female leader of Japan, went on to reiterate the evacuation warning to those in Iwate prefecture, where the biggest waves are forecast to hit.
Japan is preparing for a tsunami to hit after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off its coast (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP via Getty Images)
In the last hour since the earthquake hit, the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued safety warnings to residents, as the true impact and damage the impending tsunami can create is slowly being realized.
As of right now, 3-meter (10-foot) waves have started lapping against coastal areas, and the Agency states all people should stay clear of coast and rivers, and take shelter on higher ground.
Dr Simon Boxal, a senior lecturer in oceanography at the University of Southampton, told Sky News that he expects the impact to be ‘moderate’, explaining that time will tell how bad it’ll be: “You’d expect the main waves to be hitting, probably, given the water depth, about an hour later. So, we’d expect those waves to be hitting pretty soon.”
However, as reported by the BBC, warnings for landslides or similar earthquakes have been called in for being a possible danger this week, and the potential for an even bigger tsunami to hit.
Previously, Japan has faced severe economic and human damage caused by its quakes. Takichi has already confirmed that ‘human and material damage’ has been reported today, as long tremors that could rock high-rise buildings have been recorded in the worst effected areas, per Sky News.
Currently, The Independent reports that tsunami waves as high as 80 cm have been detected, with the possibility of them increasing in size.
Right now, the following areas are expected to feel the brunt: The central Pacific Hokkaido coast; the Aomori prefecture coast; and the Iwate prefecture coast.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world due to its location in the region of what’s known as the ‘Ring of Fire’.
This area sees the most volcanoes and oceanic trenches, with a 2011 disaster being the worst earthquake the country has seen.
That instance was overwhelmingly traumatic, as a 9-magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves of up to 40m.
Nearly 20,000 people died or were marked as missing.