Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Japan's northeast region, tsunami advisory issued

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit Japan’s northeastern region on Friday, prompting a tsunami advisory for waves up to 1 metre (39 inch) high from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The quake struck at 11:44 a.m. (0244 GMT) off the coast of Aomori prefecture with a depth of 20 km (12 miles), after a bigger, 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the same region late on Monday.

After Monday’s earthquake, the government issued a special advisory warning residents across a wide area, from Hokkaido in the north to Chiba, east of Tokyo, to be on alert for an increased possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting again within a week.

Earlier on December 8, a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said a tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after the earthquake struck at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT).

Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and tsunamis from 20 to 50 cm (7 to 18 inches) high were observed at several ports, JMA said.