Tokyo: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. A tsunami warning was issued for waves as high as three meters (10 feet).
The earthquake struck at 4:53 pm in the Pacific Ocean off northern Iwate Prefecture. It was strong enough to shake large buildings hundreds of kilometers away as far as Tokyo.
The meteorological agency said initial tsunami waves could reach the northern coast immediately. Damage from tsunami waves is expected. People have been warned to move to safer areas immediately.
Japan is one of the world’s earthquake-prone countries. Japan lies on the top of four major tectonic plates on the western edge of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’. As a result, the country is constantly hit by earthquakes.
Home to about 125 million people, the archipelago experiences about 1,500 tremors every year. About 18% of the world’s earthquakes occur here. In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan caused a tsunami that killed 18,500 people.