According to national broadcaster NHK, an earthquake struck north-central Japan on Monday with a preliminary value of 7.6 on the Richter scale. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama.
As reported by Reuters, the weather agency states that tsunami waves as high as five meters are thought to be approaching Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture. Waves up to one meter high have reportedly battered the coast of Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to a report from NHK. The Japanese government, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has established a special emergency center to collect information on the earthquakes and tsunami and promptly disseminate it to locals to protect their safety. He emphasized the need for impacted communities to be evacuated right away.
Japan is a country that experiences earthquakes frequently. A significant earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 resulted in meltdowns at a nuclear power station. At an emergency press conference, senior government spokesman Hayashi Yoshimasa advised citizens to get ready for potential aftershocks while stating that authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage.
According to The Spectator Index, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has also issued tsunami advisories for the far eastern territory of Russia and North Korea. Russian officials warned that communities around Sakhalin's west coast could be impacted by the waves in a tsunami alert, according to an Associated Press story. The meteorological agency in neighboring South Korea advised citizens of several eastern coastal towns to keep an eye out for any potential changes in sea levels. Waves of tsunamis can sometimes be larger than those that hit first.
