Japan earthquake: Is travel safe amid 'huge earthquake' warning and tsunami warnings?

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What happened in the Japan earthquake?

A strong earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Japan's Aomori Prefecture at 11.15pm local time on Monday, December 8.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a magnitude of 7.5 in its initial reports, and the epicenter of the quake was located approximately 80 kilometers offshore and at a depth of about 44 kilometers, caused by thrust faulting — where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another along the Japan Trench. The shaking lasted for about 30 seconds, and was felt as far away as Tokyo.

Within minutes, the JMA issued tsunami warnings for Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, where port cameras showed the sea receding and then surging. Ports along the northeastern edge, including Koji in Iwate and Urakawa in Hokkaido, recorded waves as high as 70 cm.

By 6.30am on Tuesday, all tsunami advisories and warnings had been canceled as gauges showed waves receding. However, the government's disaster task force remains on high alert, with aftershocks including at least one 6.6-magnitude event shaking the region, and an “aftershock warning” remains in effect along the Pacific side of northern Honshu and Hokkaido for next week.

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What areas in Japan were affected by the earthquake?

Tohoku and northern Honshu (Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi)

This is the area closest to the epicenter and experienced the strongest shaking and tsunami impact. Cities such as Hachinohe and Kogi have reported injuries, broken windows, overturned shelves, and cracked or raised road surfaces. In Hachinohe, building facades and shop windows were damaged, while road damage in Tohoku town left a car stuck in a large depression. Two small fires were reported in the city of Aomori and a hospital in Mutsu had to evacuate patients after a sprinkler system malfunctioned. Water service was cut off to about 1,360 homes in Aomori and Iwate due to broken pipes.

Hokkaido

New Chitose Airport near Sapporo temporarily closed its runways for inspections, and part of the roof of the domestic terminal collapsed, stranding about 200 passengers overnight, although there were no reports of serious injuries at the airport. A few people were injured in Tomakomai during the fall, and some coastal communities experienced brief power outages. Resorts in central and northern Hokkaido — including popular winter destinations like Furano and Niseko — are far from the epicenter and have so far reported little more than slight rumbles and brief flashes of energy.

Tokyo and central Honshu

The capital felt a long but moderate tremor. Train traffic slowed or stopped briefly as automatic safety systems kicked in, but services mostly returned to normal. There were no reports of serious damage in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya or Kyoto.

Western Japan (Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Okinawa)

The western and southern regions, including Kansai, Kyushu and Okinawa, were largely unaffected. Flights, ferries and shinkansen services in these areas operate normally.

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