LIVE – Tsunami alert in Japan: the threat is “largely over”, according to the American agency

Even if the hypothesis of a huge tsunami now seems to have been ruled out, vigilance remains essential on the northern coast of Japan. For now, authorities are calling on residents to stay safe, inland or in higher places.

USGS infographic showing earthquake intensity based on area, around the epicenter. The more orange the area, the more violent the tremors were.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has updated the tsunami risk areas. If vigilance is not fully lifted, the threat still remaining current, the “major risk” alert – maximum level of the threat prevention system – is no longer on the agenda. .

“I think it took me a few moments, three or four seconds, to understand what was happening, particularly when I saw the laundry lying around that I saw being tossed around. The building itself was moving. It was quite incredible to feel” , testifies Thibault Hébert, a French expatriate in Kyoto (Japan), at the microphone of TF1.

The threat of a tsunami linked to the powerful earthquakes that struck central Japan on Monday is “largely over”, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii. “The threat of a tsunami is now largely over,” declared the American agency, after waves more than a meter high swept over certain areas of the country.

At least 6 people are believed to be trapped in collapsed buildings following the earthquake, according to The Japan Times. Many houses collapsed in parts of Ishikawa, local authorities and firefighters said. An initial assessment has not yet been communicated, however, public television NHK reports that several people were transported to hospitals in areas affected by the earthquake.

Wajima, in Ishikawa department, suffered the full force of Monday’s powerful earthquake.

In the first minutes after the earthquake, videos of tsunamis began to circulate, many of which actually date back to the 2011 disaster.

Several highways near the epicenters of the earthquakes that occurred on Monday were closed to traffic. High-speed train (shinkansen) traffic between Tokyo and Ishikawa is also interrupted, Japan Railways announced.

A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake, followed by aftershocks, hit central Japan on Monday January 1, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert. The first 1.2 meter high waves began to break onto the Japanese coast, as shown in the video above filmed at Wajima Gate.

South Korea issued warnings about rising sea levels in parts of the Sea of ​​Japan on Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the tsunami caused by the earthquake that hit Japan could cause sea levels to rise off South Korea’s east coast. It estimates that this rise will be less than 50 centimeters, although it could increase by the time it reaches the shore, reports the Yonhap news agency.

After the powerful earthquake in Japan, a tsunami warning was issued for the city of Vladivostok, located in the far east of Russia, the city administration announced in a press release. “Fishermen and everyone planning to go out to sea should immediately return to the coast. According to the Tsunami Center, tsunami waves of 0.3 meters are expected in the Ussuri Bay, reaching the coast of Vladivostok around 7:36 p.m. (9:36 a.m. GMT),” she said, in comments reported by TASS.

“In the past, 10 to 20% of earthquakes of the same magnitude occurred after a major earthquake, therefore in areas subject to strong shaking. We must therefore expect earthquakes of magnitude close to 7 during about a week”, warns the Japanese Meteorological Agency in its press release to take stock of the events of this Monday morning. “Significant earthquakes are likely to occur, especially in the coming days,” she adds.

Residents in several coastal areas overlooking the Sea of ​​Japan are asked to evacuate. Waves of 3 to 5 meters are likely to hit the country.

“Initial reports from local hospitals indicate injuries, including broken bones, but no deaths have been confirmed so far,” reports The Guardian.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on residents of affected areas to evacuate immediately. As a reminder, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) expects waves up to “five meters high” after the powerful earthquake this Monday.

In the space of just over 90 minutes, a total of 21 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4 struck Japan on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

Some 33,500 homes are without electricity in the country after the earthquakes which struck Japan on Monday. The departments of Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata, located on the island of Honshu, which overlook the Sea of ​​Japan, are affected by these power cuts.

In addition to the one that hit Wajima – about a meter high – other waves were observed at different places on the coast: in Toyama (0.8m), Tobishima (0.2m), Sado Washizaki (0.2m ), Kanazawa (0.4m) and Kashiwazaki Kujiranami (0.4m).

The epicenter of the violent earthquake that occurred this morning is located in Ishikawa prefecture.

The first waves began to break on the coast after the powerful earthquake, the country’s weather agency JMA said. Waves 1.2 meters high hit Wajima Port on the Noto Peninsula at the northern tip of Ishikawa Prefecture (central) at 4:21 p.m. According to the agency, waves of up to “five meters” are possible.

In addition to the initial earthquake, measuring 7.5 magnitude according to the USGS, which occurred at 4:10 p.m., several others were recorded in the space of a few minutes. A first of magnitude 5.7 at 4:06 p.m. local time inland, another of magnitude 6.1 at 4:18 p.m., then three more of magnitude between 4.5 and 4.8 until 4:32 p.m. local time.

For now, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) vary slightly on their estimate of the violent earthquake that hit Japan. The estimates are 7.6 and 7.5, respectively.

Several houses suffered significant damage following the powerful earthquake that struck Japan. Here are images of the town of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

For the moment, no nuclear power plant in the country presents any anomalies after the powerful earthquake which struck the country, the Japanese government said on Monday. “It has been confirmed that there are no anomalies at the Shika nuclear power plant (located in Ishikawa Prefecture) and other sites at this time,” the spokesperson said. Yoshimasa Hayashi.

“The tsunami waves could be larger than expected and are expected to strike several times,” warns Ishikawa Prefecture, where the epicenter of the earthquake that hit Japan is located. “Continue evacuating to even more areas high levels where possible and do not leave the safety zone until the warning is lifted,” the authorities add.

The tsunami alert was triggered. A significant portion of Japan’s northern coast is placed at “major risk” or “significant risk.” Dangerous waves up to five meters high are “possible” within a radius of 300 kilometers around the epicenter, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) and the Japan Meteorological Agency have warned.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake, according to the USGS, occurred this Monday in Japan. It hit the Noto Peninsula, in Ishikawa Prefecture, around 4:10 p.m. (8:10 a.m. French time), and was felt in Tokyo and throughout the Kanto region. Several aftershocks of lesser intensity were also recorded.

The authorities have issued a tsunami alert. The entire northern coast of the country is affected. “Waves of up to 5 meters are expected. All residents must immediately evacuate to higher ground,” reported NHK, local public television.

Hello, welcome to follow the news around the powerful earthquake (magnitude 7.5) which occurred this Monday in Japan. The country is placed on tsunami alert.