Earthquake near Japan. Photo: USGS
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami alert on Sunday after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the country's northeastern coast, reports France Presse.
The earthquake occurred at 17:03 (10:03 in Romania) off the Iwate department, with a risk of tsunami waves up to one meter high.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) rated the earthquake at 6.8 on the Richter scale.
“A tsunami alert has been issued” for the coastline in the Iwate area, it said, warning that waves could reach the coast at any time.
Public broadcaster NHK reported tsunami waves offshore and urged people to stay away from beaches, although live TV broadcasts showed a calm sea at press time.
The region is still traumatized by the terrible 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011, which triggered a tsunami responsible for an estimated 18,500 dead or missing.
The disaster also led to the destruction of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the worst such disaster since Chernobyl.
Japan is located at the intersection of four tectonic plates, on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”. The country has one of the most intense seismic activities in the world.
The archipelago with 125 million inhabitants registers approximately 1,500 earthquakes per year. Most are weak, although damage can vary depending on its location and depth.
