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Dozens Hurt as Powerful 7.5 Earthquake Shakes Northern Japan Overnight
When the earth rattled off the northern shores of Japan late on Monday night, many families leapt from their beds and into narrow hallways, clutching children tight. For some, the tremor brought back painful memories of 2011.
At around 11:15 pm local time, the sea floor roughly 80 kilometres off Aomori Prefecture jolted violently, registering a magnitude of 7.5. The quake struck at a depth of about 50–54 kilometres, deep enough to shake the crust but shallow enough to rattle lives across Honshu and nearby islands.
Homes shuddered, lives disrupted
In the city of Hachinohe, on Honshu’s northeastern coast, the quake hit with enough force to make standing impossible. According to the seismic intensity scale used in Japan, the “Shindo” scale, the shaking registered as “upper-6,” a level associated with heavy structural impact and widespread utility outages.
Supermarket shelves buckled, roads cracked open, and photographs emerged showing groceries strewn across floors and a car swallowed whole by a crater in the street. With winter’s chill already settling over the region, for hours, thousands huddled in uncertainty after power suddenly went out.
At least thirty people were injured. Many of those hurt suffered harm from falling objects or masonry. A few required hospital care. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported so far, though emergency services remain alert.
Tsunami fears, then relief
In the quake’s immediate aftermath, tsunami alarms screamed across northern Japan. Authorities warned of waves up to three metres hitting the coast. Some 90,000 residents from Hokkaido down to Iwate were urged to evacuate overnight, as officials scrambled to assess the threat.
By early Tuesday morning, the worst fears had eased. Tsunami waves ultimately measured between 20 and 70 centimetres. Many ports recorded just gentle ripples. The all-clear came, but nerves remain frayed.
The spectre of a “megaquake” looms
Just days ago, Japan re-entered seismic alert mode. After such a powerful quake in the coastal waters off Aomori, the national meteorological authority issued a rare “megaquake advisory.” While a magnitude of 8.0 or above remains only a slight possibility, citizens have again been urged to prepare, secure their furniture, pack emergency kits, and treat any unusual shaking as a possible warning.
It is not lost on many that this part of Japan has already endured its worst nightmare. The 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the region, claiming nearly 20,000 lives and sparking the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Why this quake still matters
Japan sits astride the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates meet, grind, and slip under the ocean floor. That makes earthquakes inevitable, some barely felt, others capable of destroying entire towns. Even this tremor, while far less catastrophic than 2011’s event, ripped open roads, overturned furniture, and sparked fears of a worse shock still to come.
For residents, the message is clear: preparedness, not panic. Rapid restorations of power and swift reopening of rail services show how far recovery systems have come since 2011. Still, the memory of past tragedy lingers. This quake may not leave a scar on Japan’s history books, but it has reopened old wounds and reminded a nation not to take seismic calm for granted.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: Daily Post Nigeria
