Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says the government has set up a crisis management team after the strong earthquake.
Published On 20 Apr 2026
Japan has lifted a tsunami warning that it had issued after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off its northern coast. The quake hit on Monday at 4:53pm (07:53 GMT) in waters off Iwate prefecture on the Pacific coast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). It was felt across a wide area, shaking buildings in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers to the south.
Authorities issued a tsunami alert for waves up to 3 meters (10ft) high. Two hours after the tremor, tsunami waves as high as 80cm (2ft, 7 inches) had been detected, and the warning was later downgraded to a tsunami advisory. Earlier, the JMA had warned that the first tsunami waves could reach parts of the northern coastline immediately. “Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,” the agency said. “Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted.”
Live footage from the public broadcaster NHK showed no immediate signs of damage at several ports in Iwate. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up a crisis management team and was working to assess the impact of the earthquake. “For those of you who live in areas for which the warnings have been issued, please evacuate to higher, safer places such as higher ground,” Takaichi told reporters. She added that officials were still trying to confirm whether there had been any casualties or damage to property.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, sitting on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where several tectonic plates meet. It experiences about 1,500 earthquakes each year and accounts for almost 18 percent of the world’s seismic activity. Memories remain strong of the devastating magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011, killing about 18,500 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Authorities have also raised concerns in recent years over the risk of a strong earthquake along the Nankai Trough, an 800km (497-mile) undersea trench south of Japan where the Philippine Sea plate is sliding beneath the continental plate. The JMA issued rare “megaquake” advisories in 2024 and again in December after strong offshore tremors heightened fears of a future catastrophic event.
