Japan braces for bigger temblor after 7.5 quake
At least 34 people were injured when a powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck northeastern Japan late Monday night, according to a Kyodo News tally, with transport and water supplies disrupted, and schools suspended in various areas as authorities warned of the possibility of a stronger temblor.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake, which occurred at 11:15 p.m. off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of 54 kilometers, could be followed by a temblor of similar or higher magnitude in the same area in the coming days.
It is the first time that the agency has issued such an alert for the coastal regions of Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast, which extends from Aomori through Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
On alert
JR East said on Tuesday it had suspended bullet train services on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line between Morioka in Iwate Prefecture and Shin-Aomori in the neighboring prefecture of Aomori for inspections following the quake, with operations expected to resume in the afternoon.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on people in the region to remain alert for information from local governments and the weather agency over the next week or so and to prepare for another possible quake, including by securing furniture.
“The government asks residents to continue social and economic activities while maintaining a readiness to evacuate immediately if any shaking is felt,” Takaichi told reporters on Tuesday at her office in Tokyo.
The injuries were reported in Hokkaido, and Aomori and Iwate prefectures, while dozens remained in evacuation centers as of Tuesday morning.
The government said around 1,360 homes in Aomori and Iwate prefectures were without water due to damaged pipes.
Classes were canceled at 139 public elementary, junior high and high schools in Aomori Prefecture and 48 in Hokkaido, according to the Education Ministry and local authorities.
Freezing cold
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said a Maritime Self-Defense Force air base and a Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture, the most severely hit, were opened to the public as evacuation centers and had taken in around 620 people and about 270 vehicles at one point.
Many people were forced to evacuate in the freezing cold when the earthquake struck and tsunami warnings were issued. The warnings were downgraded to advisories over three hours after the quake and lifted at 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday.
At a municipal center in Hidaka on the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, more than 200 people, including the elderly and young children, took refuge, trying to stay warm with distributed blankets and heaters. On Tuesday morning, the temperature was minus 7.8 degrees Celsius in the village.
No abnormalities were reported at nuclear plants in Hokkaido, Aomori, Miyagi and Fukushima.
