World3 min(s) read
Published 11:46 20 Apr 2026 GMT
Japan has been thrown into a national emergency after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the country’s eastern coast, triggering urgent tsunami warnings. The quake hit at around 5PM local time near the Sanriku coast, with Japan’s meteorological agency confirming it occurred at a depth of roughly 10km and about 100km offshore.
Authorities quickly issued evacuation alerts for coastal regions, with residents in 11 towns in Iwate prefecture told to leave immediately. Prime Minister Sanae Takichi confirmed a task force has been established to respond to the developing situation and repeated calls for people in high-risk areas to move to safety.
Warnings have continued to escalate in the hours since the quake, as officials assess the possible damage from incoming waves. The Japan Meteorological Agency has urged people to stay away from coastlines and rivers and seek higher ground as a precaution.
Oceanography expert Dr Simon Boxal shared insight into what could unfold, telling Sky News: "You'd expect the main waves to be hitting, probably, given the water depth, about an hour later. So, we'd expect those waves to be hitting pretty soon."
He added: "This has the potential to create a moderate tsunami. When I say 'moderate', you've got to put this into perspective with the huge tsunami back in 2011, which killed over 20,000 people.
"That created waves that were over 10 meters high, which basically breached all of the tsunami defence systems that Japan has very effectively put across their coastline.
"We're now looking at waves of between 30cm and 80cm. That still could cause some damage. Ships have left the ports, because once you get away from the shore you're safe.
"We'll wait to see if we get any bigger waves. There's talk of waves up to three metres and that will cause some destruction, particularly in these low-lying areas.
"This is an important area for tourism as well, you've got a lot of people along that coastline."
Reports from NHK confirm evacuations are underway, while data cited by The Independent suggests waves as high as 80cm have already been detected, with the possibility they could grow stronger.
The regions expected to be hit hardest include the central Pacific coast of Hokkaido, the Aomori prefecture coastline, and Iwate prefecture. Officials have also issued warnings about possible landslides and further seismic activity in the coming days, according to the BBC.
Takichi has confirmed that "human and material damage" has already been reported, while tremors strong enough to affect high-rise buildings have been felt in the worst-hit areas.
Japan’s location along the ‘Ring of Fire’ makes it one of the most earthquake-prone nations on Earth. The country has previously faced severe destruction, most notably in 2011 when a 9-magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves reaching up to 40 meters.
That disaster left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and remains the most severe earthquake event in Japan’s history. Current warnings are being measured against that benchmark as authorities monitor whether the situation could escalate further.
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