No change in radiation or abnormality recorded at Fukushima plants, officials say
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has confirmed there are no abnormalities at its Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear plants after a major earthquake rocked the country’s northeastern coast.
There’s been no change in radiation levels around the sites, the operator said.
In northern areas, the Tohoku Electric Power Company said no abnormalities have been seen so far at either its Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori prefecture or its Onagawa plant in Miyagi prefecture.
A recyclable-fuel storage company also said no abnormalities were seen at the interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in Aomori prefecture.
An abandoned building in front of the facilities of the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (back), as seen from Ukedo fishing port in Namie, Fukushima prefecture (AFP/Getty)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:49
Watch: Japan’s prime minister orders evacuations after major 7.5-magnitude quakeJapan’s prime minister orders evacuations after major 7.5-magnitude quake
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:47
Residents told to seek shelter on higher ground
Residents of areas subject to tsunami warnings have been asked to immediately move away from the coast and rivers and take shelter on higher ground, according to Japan’s weather agency.
The regions with the highest-level warnings are Iwate and central Hokkaido, though tsunami alerts are in place for most of Japan’s eastern coastline.
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:41
Japanese PM says ‘human and material damage’ reported
The major earthquake in Japan has caused damage, prime minister Sanae Takaichi said.
“At this time, we have received a report that ‘human and material damage is currently being confirmed’, but from now on, we will receive detailed reports and address the disaster response,” she said.
PM Takaichi has set up an emergency task force to deal with the earthquake.
Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to media after Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning (Reuters)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:25
First tsunami waves hit Japan’s northeastern coast
A tsunami of about 80 centimetres (2.6 feet) has been detected at Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, and a smaller tsunami of 40 centimetres (1.3 feet) was recorded at Miyako port in the same prefecture, the agency said.
Earlier, the authorities had identified Iwate as the area likely to be hit by the largest tsunamis, warning locals to expect incoming waves of up to 3 metres.
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:22
Why does Japan face frequent earthquakes?
Japan is positioned along the infamous “Pacific Ring of Fire” where the Pacific, North American, Eurasian, and Filipino tectonic plates converge. The constant shifting of the four plates leads to frequent earthquakes in the East Asian country, some of which can be devastating.
However, Japan is also known for its world-leading earthquake preparedness, with resilient building structures adhering to strict regulations and regular earthquake drills in schools.
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 10:15
What is an ‘upper 5’ earthquake? Falling furniture, difficulty in walking
The seismic intensity of Monday afternoon’s earthquake was recorded as an “upper 5” on Japan’s seismic scale in some places.
According to the scale, upper 5 indicates that “most people find it difficult to walk without holding on to a stable object” and that “unfixed furniture may fall over”.
The upper 5 was recorded in Aomori prefecture on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, and lower 5 levels were recorded in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
Japan uses a special shindo scale to describe how strongly the ground shakes during an earthquake. It goes from 0 to 7 and reflects the actual impact felt at a location, unlike magnitude which measures the earthquake’s overall energy at its source.
File: A torii gate at the entrance of Yasaka Shrine is seen after it collapsed onto a sidewalk in Hachinohe City in Aomori prefecture (AFP/Getty)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 09:57
2011 tsunami following 9.0 magnitude earthquake led to 22,000 deaths
It’s 15 years since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, ravaged parts of northern Japan, caused more than 22,000 deaths and forced nearly half a million people to flee their homes, most of them due to tsunami damage.
Some 160,000 people fled their homes in Fukushima because of the radiation spewed from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
About 26,000 of them haven’t returned because they resettled elsewhere, their hometowns remain off-limits or they have lingering concerns about radiation.
People pray silently at the time of the Great East Japan earthquake, 2.46pm in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture on the 15th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster (AFP/Getty)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 09:49
Mapped: Tsunami warnings issued in these areas of Japan after 7.5 magnitude earthquake
Tsunami warnings have been put in place for the northeastern coast of Japan, as highlighted in this map from the JMA.
The red warnings are for 3m tsunami waves in central Hokkaido and Iwate prefecture.
The yellow warnings indicate a 1m tsunami, and affect areas including Fukushima and northeastern Hokkaido.
(Japan Meteorological Agency)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 09:43
Japan PM Takaichi announces emergency task force
Speaking to reporters, Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force and urged citizens in the affected areas to evacuate to safety.
Broadcaster NHK showed ships sailing out of Hachinohe port in Hokkaido in anticipation of the waves, as an alert ‘Tsunami! Evacuate!’ flashed across the screen.
A television screen shows a news report on Japan Meteorological Agency’s tsunami warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (9.84 feet) to reach large coastal areas in northern Japan after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 struck off the northeastern coast of Japan (Reuters)
Arpan Rai20 April 2026 09:38