Wildfire in Iwate Pref.

Wildfire in Iwate Pref.

An electric signboard on the Sanriku Expressway near the Otsuchi interchange in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan, informs drivers of the closure of a section as wildfires continue to rage near the expressway on April 27, 2026, following its outbreak five days before.

Wildfire in Iwate Pref.

Wildfire in Iwate Pref.

An electric signboard on the Sanriku Expressway near the Otsuchi interchange in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan, informs drivers of the closure of a section as wildfires continue to rage near the expressway on April 27, 2026, following its outbreak five days before.

Japan: Wildfires Grow in Iwate’s Otsuchi as Evacuation Orders Widen 4

Two wildfires, which broke out on the afternoon of April 22 in forested areas of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, in northeast Japan, have scorched more than 1,000 hectares of land as of Friday, April 24, with at least eight structures — including a home — reported destroyed. Authorities have issued evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people as firefighting efforts continue. This video was shot at a parking area near the fire on Sanriku Expressway on April 24.

Japan: Shaking Felt in Tokyo as Powerful 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Sanriku Coast

Shaking was felt as far as Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo as a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region on Monday, April 20, with tsunami warnings issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Powerful earthquake hits northeastern Japan

Powerful earthquake hits northeastern Japan

An electronic bulletin board in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture shows on April 21, 2026, that the weather agency's "Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory" is in place, alerting people about the increased risk of another strong earthquake following a powerful one that hit northeastern and northern Japan the previous day.

Japan: Passenger Captures Moment Bullet Train Grinds to Halt as Powerful Earthquake Hits 2

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. The footage was shot on a Shinkansen bullet train bound for Tokyo between Ichinoseki Station and Kurikoma-Kogen Station.

Japan: Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 7

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. The footage captures the moment an earthquake alert sounds, as rails hum and vibrate and overhead wires sway in the tremor in Hakodate, Hokkaido.

Japan: Passenger Captures Moment Bullet Train Grinds to Halt as Powerful Earthquake Hits

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region on Monday, April 20, with tsunami warnings of up to three meters issued for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. This video shows the moment a Shinkansen bullet train makes an emergency stop in Miyagi Prefecture as the earthquake struck.

Japan: Shoppers Evacuate to Rooftop Amid Tsunami Warnings Following Major Earthquake

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. The footage captures people at a shopping mall in Hachinohe evacuating to the rooftop amid tsunami warnings.

Japan: Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 8

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. The footage was shot in the food court of the CiiNA CiiNA Aomori shopping center in Aomori City.

Japan: Sirens Blare as Tsunami Warning Issued After Powerful Earthquake 2

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 2

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 4

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 3

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 6

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued 5

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Sirens Blare as Tsunami Warning Issued After Powerful Earthquake

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Japan: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Tohoku, Tsunami Warning Issued

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region Monday afternoon, April 20, triggering a tsunami warning of up to three meters for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Tsunami warning issued in Japan

Tsunami warning issued in Japan

Passengers stand in front of Sanriku Railway's Miyako Station in Miyako in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on July 30, 2025, after railway services were suspended following a tsunami warning. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the warning for the country's Pacific coast in the wake of a powerful earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

Olympic torch in Japan

Olympic torch in Japan

MIYAKO, Japan, March 22 Kyodo - Photo taken in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on March 22, 2020, shows the flame for the Tokyo Olympics being carried by Sanriku Railway's Rias Line. The flame is touring through northeastern Japan towns hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster, ahead of the start of the torch relay from Fukushima Prefecture on March 26.

Sushi served on disaster-hit Sanriku Railway

Sushi served on disaster-hit Sanriku Railway

MORIOKA, Japan - Officials of Iwate Prefecture's coastal promotion bureau serve sushi made with local seafood on the "Sushi train" of Sanriku Railway Co.'s South Rias Line running through Kamaishi in the northeastern Japan prefecture on Aug. 2, 2014.

Sushi served on disaster-hit Sanriku Railway

Sushi served on disaster-hit Sanriku Railway

MORIOKA, Japan - A family enjoys sushi with local scallops on the "Sushi train" of Sanriku Railway Co.'s South Rias Line running through Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 2, 2014.

Train stops at station repaired after tsunami damage

Train stops at station repaired after tsunami damage

MORIOKA, Japan - A train of Sanriku Railway Co.'s North Rias Line stops at Shimanokoshi Station in Tanohata, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on July 27, 2014, as it reopens after virtual completion of repair work from devastation inflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011.

Tsunami-hit railway station resumes operation

Tsunami-hit railway station resumes operation

MORIOKA, Japan - Shimanokoshi Station of Sanriku Railway Co.'s North Rias Line in Tanohata, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, resumes operation on July 27, 2014, after virtual completion of repair work from devastation inflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011,.

Emperor, empress visit Cape Iwaisaki

Emperor, empress visit Cape Iwaisaki

KESENNUMA, Japan - Japanese Emperor Akihito (C) and Empress Michiko (R) visit Cape Iwaisaki in the city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 23, 2014. The cape is located in Sanriku Fukko (Reconstruction) National Park, which the government created in 2013 by expanding the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park along the Sanriku Coast following the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Pool photo by Jiji Press)

3 plaques of AKB48 group missing at Iwate Pref. station

3 plaques of AKB48 group missing at Iwate Pref. station

MORIOKA, Japan - Plaques made of scallop shells hanging in a waiting room of Koishihama Station on the Sanriku Railway Co.'s Minami Rias Line in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, are seen in this photo taken on May 29, 2014. Three plaques on which members of popular Japanese all-girl pop group AKB48, including Mayu Watanabe, wrote some messages went missing recently.

Sanriku Railway

Sanriku Railway

KAMAISHI, Japan - A train on Sanriku Railway Co.'s South Rias line takes a test run in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture on March 28, 2014 before resuming full service on April 5. Parts of the train line were closed after being damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Train with interior resembling old folk house

Train with interior resembling old folk house

MORIOKA, Japan - Sanriku Railway Co. shows on March 25, 2014, its new train called "Sanriku Hamakaze," which has an interior designed to resemble an old folk house, in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture. The train will be used starting April 6 when all of the railway's lines will be back in operation after services were partially suspended following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Interior of train resembling old folk house

Interior of train resembling old folk house

MORIOKA, Japan - Sanriku Railway Co. shows on March 25, 2014, the interior of its new train called "Sanriku Hamakaze," which is designed to resemble an old folk house, in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture. The train will enter service on April 6 when all of the railway's lines will be back in operation after services were partially suspended following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Glass-plate negatives recording 1896 Sanriku quake

Glass-plate negatives recording 1896 Sanriku quake

TOKYO, Japan - Shozo Fujiwara, an official of the Morioka Local Meteorological Observatory, holds some of the glass-plate negatives recording damage inflicted by the 1896 earthquake and tsunami that hit the Sanriku region on the Pacific coast in northeastern Japan, at the observatory in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, on July 1, 2013.

1,000 banners project to promote Sanriku oysters

1,000 banners project to promote Sanriku oysters

SENDAI, Japan - A banner is set up in front of a restaurant in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 27, 2014, to promote oysters from the Sanriku region in northeastern Japan. Oyster farmers in Miyagi Prefecture are distributing banners to restaurants and shops for free as part of "Sanriku oyster 1,000 banners project" to promote Sanriku oysters, since shipments of the local specialty have yet to recover to levels prior to the 2011 disaster.

Tsunami-damaged railways

Tsunami-damaged railways

MORIOKA, Japan - Sanriku Railway Co. President Masahiko Mochizuki (C) holds a press conference in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Jan. 27, 2014. The railway operator will fully resume services on its two railway lines in Iwate Prefecture in April 2014, three years after the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

2014 calendar

2014 calendar

MORIOKA, Japan - Hitoshi Oita, a businessman in Morioka, Japan, shows the 2014 Iwate Sanriku Calendar that he planned. It features people in areas hit by the March 2011 quake and tsunami in Iwate Prefecture. Photo was taken Nov. 15, 2013.

Tsunami survivor tells life-saving story with picture cards

Tsunami survivor tells life-saving story with picture cards

MORIOKA, Japan - Using handmade picture cards, Yoshi Tabata (R) tells a story titled "Tsunami" based on her own experience of the 1933 powerful tsunami that hit the Sanriku region in northeastern Japan, on Nov. 1, 2013 in the inland village of Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture.

Model for "Amachan" grandma

Model for "Amachan" grandma

MORIOKA, Japan - Photo taken Oct. 8, 2013 shows Kunie Kudo holding a sea urchin boxed lunch at the Sanriku Rias-Tei restaurant on the premises of Sanriku Railway Kuji Station in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture. Kudo is said to be one of the models for Natsu Amano, the charismatic grandmother of the main character Aki Amano in the NHK drama titled "Amachan."

Japan starts whaling in coastal waters

Japan starts whaling in coastal waters

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Photo taken April 18, 2013, shows part of a fleet of four whaling ships that left Ayukawa port in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, to start their seasonal hunting of minke whales for research purposes in coastal waters in northeastern Japan. The whalers plan to catch up to 60 minke whales in waters off the Sanriku region through early June, fishery industry officials said.

Japan starts whaling in coastal waters

Japan starts whaling in coastal waters

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Photo taken April 18, 2013, shows part of a fleet of four whaling ships that left Ayukawa port in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, to start their seasonal hunting of minke whales for research purposes in coastal waters in northeastern Japan. The whalers plan to catch up to 60 minke whales in waters off the Sanriku region through early June, fishery industry officials said.

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

OFUNATO, Japan - Residents celebrate as a special train arrives at Yoshihama Station in Iwate Prefecture on the Minami Riasu Line on April 3, 2013, as the Sanriku Railway Co. line crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster partially reopened for service. New carriages were bought with the help of the Kuwaiti government.

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

OFUNATO, Japan - A special train departs Sakari Station in Iwate Prefecture on the Minami Riasu Line on April 3, 2013, as the Sanriku Railway Co. line crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster partially reopened for service. New carriages were bought with the help of the Kuwaiti government.

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

Tsunami-hit railway partially reopens

OFUNATO, Japan - Residents see a special train off from Sakari Station in Iwate Prefecture on the Minami Riasu Line on April 3, 2013, as the Sanriku Railway Co. line crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster partially reopened for service. New carriages were bought with the help of the Kuwaiti government.

Walking for survey of post-disaster park reconstruction

Walking for survey of post-disaster park reconstruction

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Shunsuke Goto, a Waseda University student, looks at the mouth of the Kitakami River in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Feb. 25, 2013, during a field survey commissioned by the Environment Ministry to choose a 700-kilometer natural path called "Tohoku Kaigan Trail." The selection of the coastal path from Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, to Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, is a core project for a Sanriku Fukko (Reconstruction) National Park to be created by rebuilding natural parks damaged by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.

St. Valentine's Day chocolates

St. Valentine's Day chocolates

MIYAKO, Japan - A women hands chocolate to passengers at Sanriku Railway Co.'s Miyako Station in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Feb. 14, 2012. Confectionery shop ''Amla-an'' in Hiroshima Prefecture hosted the St. Valentine's Day event to hand some 300 chocolates to passengers and station employees to do some cheerleading for the local railway. Operations on about two-thirds of the railroad along the Pacific are still suspended as stations and rails were swept away by the March 2011 tsunami.

New rails for disaster-hit railway company

New rails for disaster-hit railway company

NODA, Japan - Workers on Feb. 1, 2012, lay new railroad rails in the village of Noda, Iwate Prefecture, an area hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as the work began the same day in the village. Sanriku Railway Co. aims at fully resuming its services in April 2014.

Christmas illuminations in disaster-hit Miyako

Christmas illuminations in disaster-hit Miyako

MIYAKO, Japan - A couple looks at Christmas illuminations lit up Nov. 22, 2011, in front of Sanriku Railway Co.'s Miyako Station in quake- and tsunami-hit Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan.

Coastal research whaling ship

Coastal research whaling ship

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Photo taken April 25, 2011, shows a whaling ship docked at Kushiro port in Hokkaido. The ship's departure from the port for coastal research whaling in waters off Kushiro under the approval of Japan's Fisheries Agency, which was scheduled April 25, was postponed due to bad weather. The whaling site was changed to waters off Hokkaido from off the Sanriku coastline in northeastern Japan after the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami wrecked whaling ships and related facilities in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, home to one of Japan's key coastal whaling bases.

Monument for poet Miyazawa survives tsunami

Monument for poet Miyazawa survives tsunami

TANOHATA, Japan - A monument engraved with a poem by well-known writer Kenji Miyazawa stands amid rubble in the village of Tanohata, Iwate Prefecture, on April 22, 2011. The monument was erected in 1997 in front of Sanriku Railway Co.'s Shimanokoshi Station, which was washed away by the March 11 tsunami.

Teaching from ancestors save community from tsunami

Teaching from ancestors save community from tsunami

MIYAKO, Japan - Photo taken on April 5, 2011, shows a stone tablet in the tsunami-hit city of Miyako's Aneyoshi district, which has an inscription warning against building houses in areas lower than where the stone is set and describing destruction caused by past tsunamis. Eleven houses in the district, home to some 30 residents, were all safe from the March 11 devastating tsunami, despite an estimated record 38.9-meter-high tsunami hitting there, as they heeded the warning left by their predecessors, who set up the stone following the 1933 Showa Sanriku earthquake and tsunami. The Aneyoshi district was thoroughly devastated and almost all its residents were killed in the 1933 tsunami and the 1896 Meiji Sanriku earthquake and tsunami.

Tsunami survivor says 'don't look back'

Tsunami survivor says 'don't look back'

MIYAKO, Japan - Yoshi Akanuma, 93, speaks to her great-grandchild at an evacuation center in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on April 7, 2011. Akanuma, who survived the 1933 Showa Sanriku Earthquake Tsunami and the March 11 tsunami in northeastern Japan, said one needs to ''not look back, but live with hope.'' She said her goal is to see her hometown recover.

U.S. support for quake-hit Japan

U.S. support for quake-hit Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken on March 28, 2011, shows the U.S. amphibious assault ship the Essex in the Pacific off the disaster-hit Sanriku coast, northeastern Japan. The ship is engaged in carrying relief goods to areas devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami, in a post-disaster operation called ''Tomodachi'' (friends), in which more than 18,000 U.S. military personnel are taking part.

U.S. support for quake-hit Japan

U.S. support for quake-hit Japan

TOKYO, Japan - U.S. military personnel transport relief goods to a helicopter from a U.S. naval vessel on March 29, 2011, in the Pacific off the Sanriku coast, northeastern Japan. More than 18,000 U.S. military personnel have been taking part in a post-disaster operation called ''Tomodachi'' (friends) to deliver relief items to disaster-hit areas.