The magnitude 7.4 quake was the largest earthquake in the region since the magnitude 9 quake in 2011 and some of its immediate aftershocks.

What we know so far

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck off the coast of Fukushima – the site of 2011’s devastating 9.0 quake and resulting tsunami – at Tuesday 5.59am local time (Monday 8.59pm GMT).

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was an aftershock to the 2011 earthquake, the largest since that quake’s immediate aftershocks.

The JMA warned that another large quake could be expected within the next few days, and people in the region have been advised to “remain cautious” for the next week.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, with waves at Sendai port recorded at 1.4m high. The warnings have since been downgraded, before being cancelled, although residents are still advised to avoid the shore.

At the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant, the reactor number 3 spent fuel pool pump stopped operating at 6.10am as a result of the quake. Operation resumed at 7.49am and the plant is reported to be safe and “intact”.

So far, at least people are reported to have suffered minor injuries in the quake. No deaths have been reported.

Nissan is suspending work at its Fukushima factory, while flights to and from Sendai airport have been disrupted.

Decommissioning work at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, destroyed in the 2011 quake, has been temporarily suspended.

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10:26

Tsunami waves were filmed surging up the Sunaoshi river in Tagajo city after a quake of magnitude 7.4 shook Japan’s eastern coast, prompting evacuation warnings:



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10:02


The Japan Meteorological Agency has said that Tuesday’s earthquake was an aftershock of the enormous, magnitude 9 quake in 2011, which killed more than 15,000 people and sent the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into meltdown.

The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned that another large quake could be expected within the next few days.

People in Japan have been warned to “remain cautious” for the next week.

The magnitude 7.4 quake was the largest earthquake in the region since the magnitude 9 quake in 2011 and some of its immediate aftershocks.

09:12

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, issuing tsunami advisories for much of the nation`s northern Pacific coast, Reuters reported.

The epicenter of the earthquake, which was felt in Tokyo, was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m. (3.59 p.m. ET).

Tokyo Electric Power Co was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.



Tohoku Electric Power Co said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.

Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters (10 feet) for Fukushima, where Tepco`s Daiichi nuclear plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world`s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world`s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

The March 11, 2011, quake was magnitude 9, the strongest quake in Japan on record. The massive tsunami it triggered caused world`s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially put Tuesday`s quake at a magnitude of 7.3 but down graded it to 6.9.

All nuclear plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shutdown in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest of the country. Even when in shutdown nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.

ہاں ہاں #Fukushima
Right now just prayers are needed!

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