News programs on television and internet media reported a tsunami warning due to the major earthquake that occurred in Shinjuku, Tokyo on December 8, 2025.
AP image via Yomiuri Shimbun
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s northeastern region late Monday, prompting a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for about 90,000 residents.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a 3-meter (10-foot) high tsunami could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake struck offshore at 11:15 p.m. (14:15 Japan time).
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a tsunami warning was issued for Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures, and tsunami waves between 20 and 70 centimeters in height were observed at multiple ports.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 80 km off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, and the depth was 50 km, the agency added.
In Aomori Prefecture, Japan’s seismic intensity of 1 to 7 was recorded as a “6+” seismic intensity, and the shaking was so strong that it was impossible to stand or move without crawling. Such shaking can topple most heavy furniture and damage wall tiles and window glass in many buildings.
As of 17:00 GMT, public broadcaster NHK had little information on major damage or casualties. The paper quoted a hotel employee in Hachinohe as saying that several people were injured and taken to the hospital, but all were conscious.
“I have heard that seven people have been reported injured at this time,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters early Tuesday.
JR East Some services were also suspended in areas where a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in March 2011.
A Japan Meteorological Agency official said at a press conference, “There is a possibility that even stronger earthquakes will occur in the coming days.”
In response to the tremor, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning for a wide area from the northernmost tip of Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, calling on residents to be wary of the possibility of another strong earthquake occurring within a week.
No abnormalities have been reported at nuclear power plants in the region operated by. Tohoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Powersaid the power company. Tohoku Electric Co. initially said that thousands of households were without power, but later lowered that number to a few hundred.
Temporarily weak yen
The yen depreciated against major currencies following news of the earthquake, but has since rebounded somewhat. The dollar hit a new session high, trading around 155.81 yen around 1533 GMT (5:33 p.m. Japan time), and the euro also hit a session high.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, with shaking occurring at least every five minutes. Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of volcanoes and ocean trenches that surrounds part of the Pacific Basin, and accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher.
On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku region was hit by one of Japan’s worst earthquakes, with a magnitude 9.0 tremor on the ocean floor off the coast of the northern city of Sendai. It was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, causing a series of massive tsunamis that destroyed large swathes of the Pacific coast and killed nearly 20,000 people.
The 2011 tsunami also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing a series of explosions and meltdowns, making it the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.
Drawing on the lessons of that disaster, which occurred two days ago with a magnitude 7 earthquake, the government now issues a one-week “major earthquake” advisory whenever a significant earthquake occurs in the region. Similarly, in August last year, a major earthquake warning was issued for the Nankai Trough region in the south-central region.
