{"id":620650,"date":"2026-04-21T04:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/620650\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T04:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:35:17","slug":"tsunami-alert-issued-after-powerful-earthquake-off-japans-northern-coast-as-it-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/620650\/","title":{"rendered":"Tsunami alert issued after powerful earthquake off Japan’s northern coast \u2014 as it happened"},"content":{"rendered":"

16h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 11:41am<\/p>\n

Thank you for following our live coverage\"Audrey<\/p>\n

We are now closing our live coverage of the earthquake and tsunami response in northern Japan.<\/p>\n

All tsunami warnings have been downgraded to advisories, with no remaining red warning zones in effect.<\/p>\n

Authorities say they will continue to monitor coastal conditions, but the immediate tsunami threat appears to have eased.<\/p>\n

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake off the north-east coast triggered widespread evacuation orders affecting around 170,000 people.<\/p>\n

Three injuries have been reported, according to NHK, but there are no reports of major damage or abnormalities at nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n

Officials have urged continued caution in the days to come, citing the risk of aftershocks and further seismic activity.<\/p>\n

Thanks for following our live updates. Have a good night.<\/p>\n

17h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 11:25am<\/p>\n

Airports operating normally\"Audrey<\/p>\n

Airport operators in Shin-Chitose and Sendai say operations have not been affected, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.<\/p>\n

17h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 11:10am<\/p>\n

Evacuation orders remain in place for 170,000 residents after quake\"Audrey<\/p>\n

The Japanese government says around 170,000 people have been told to evacuate since 6:45pm local time in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami warnings off the northeast coast of Japan.<\/p>\n

There are still no reports of damage and no abnormalities have been detected at nuclear plants.<\/p>\n

Public broadcaster NHK reports that three people have been confirmed injured, after speaking to fire departments in affected zones.<\/p>\n

17h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 10:59am<\/p>\n

Video: Waves swell in Hokkaido after tsunami warnings issued\"Claire<\/p>\n

Aerial vision shows waves crashing into the coastline of Hokkaido after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off the north-eastern coast of Japan earlier tonight.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

17h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 10:36am<\/p>\n

Japan Meteorological Agency holding another press conference\"Audrey\"\"(Source: NHK)<\/p>\n

The Japan Meteorological Agency is holding another press conference.<\/p>\n

We’re listening and will bring you key lines as they come.<\/p>\n

18h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 10:31am<\/p>\n

Bullet train services suspended in Japan\"Claire<\/p>\n

Several bullet train services have been cancelled or delayed in northeastern Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami advisory.<\/p>\n

The affected services include T\u014dhoku, Yamagata and Akita shinkansen lines.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Source: East Japan Railway Company)<\/p>\n

18h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 10:10am<\/p>\n

ICYMI: Summary of tsunami warnings and advisories\"Audrey<\/p>\n

If you missed it earlier, here’s a look at the latest tsunami warnings and advisories<\/a> along Japan’s northeastern coast.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Source: Japan Meteorological Agency)<\/p>\n

Red zones\u00a0indicate tsunami warnings, covering Iwate prefecture, central parts of Hokkaido’s Pacific coast, and the Pacific coast of Aomori Prefecture.<\/p>\n

Yellow zones\u00a0show advisories in other parts of Hokkaido and Aomori, as well as Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture.<\/p>\n

Authorities continue to urge residents in affected regions to evacuate to higher ground and stay away from coastal areas.<\/p>\n

18h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 10:05am<\/p>\n

‘Not the end of it,’ NHK cautions as night falls over tsunami zone\"Audrey<\/p>\n

“Just because we’re getting waves of 80 and 40 centimetres, doesn’t mean this is the end of it,” Japan\u2019s public broadcaster NHK reports.<\/p>\n

A local reporter is broadcasting live from Miyako Port, where it is now just after 7pm local time and visibility is low as darkness sets in.<\/p>\n

A 40cm tsunami was observed at the port earlier in the evening.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Source: NHK)<\/p>\n

18h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 9:49am<\/p>\n

Higher tsunami waves reportedly still possible as live footage shows impact\"Audrey<\/p>\n

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK is reporting that higher tsunami waves are still expected to arrive along parts of the northeastern coast.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster is showing live footage of waves already reaching coastal areas, with water seen lapping shorelines in affected regions.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Source: NHK)<\/p>\n

18h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 9:37am<\/p>\n

Key updates so far\"Audrey<\/p>\n

Good evening. If you’re just tuning in, here’s what has happened so far:<\/p>\n

A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off the north-eastern coast of Japan at 4:53pm (local time), triggering tsunami warnings across multiple prefectures.The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of possible tsunami waves up to 3 metres and urged immediate evacuation from coastal areas.Tsunami waves have already been observed, including 80cm at Kuji Port and 40cm at Miyako Port, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.Officials say some areas may already have been hit by larger waves than those recorded, with water levels potentially still rising.Evacuation orders remain in place, with residents told to move to higher ground and not return until all clear is given.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"16h agoMon 20 Apr 2026 at 11:41am Thank you for following our live coverage We are now closing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,9989,300978,75,300976,121097,941,300977,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-620650","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-earthquake","11":"tag-emsc","12":"tag-environment","13":"tag-european-mediterranean-sea-level-level","14":"tag-honshu","15":"tag-japan","16":"tag-magnitude-7-3","17":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}