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7.4-magnitude quake hits northern Japan; tsunami warning issued
The quake was also felt in Tokyo

7.4-magnitude quake hits northern Japan; tsunami warning issued

Apr 20, 2026
01:57 pm

What's the story

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 4:53pm, according to the JMA. It has issued a tsunami warning for waves up to three meters (10 feet) on Hokkaido and Iwate and Aomori prefectures. Per AFP, the quake was felt even in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers away.

Report

'Don't turn back' 

According to the Japan Times, public broadcaster NHK anchor urged local residents to move to higher ground, calling on people to "remember the 3/11 disaster." On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0-earthquake struck off the Tohoku coast. It was the strongest in Japan's recorded history. "Tsunami! Evacuate!" warning flashed on NHK in English for viewers. "Don't turn back."

Event

Over 20,000 died in 2011 quake 

The 2011 earthquake devastated parts of northern Japan, killing over 22,000 people and forcing over half a million to evacuate their homes. Around 160,000 people evacuated their houses in Fukushima due to the radiation emitted by the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility. About 26,000 of them have not returned since.

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