Japan: M7.5 Quake Hits Off Aomori Prefecture, Tsunami Warning Issued

A powerful Magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck offshore at 11:15 PM in Japan, leading to immediate tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for residents. Warnings for waves up to 3 meters (10 ft) were issued for the north-eastern coast, specifically the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. Tsunamis between 20 and 50 cm (7-18 inches) high were subsequently observed at several ports in the region. Furthermore, authorities are cautioning the public that "there is a possibility of even more powerful tremors." They also urged attention be paid to the potential for a larger subsequent earthquake.

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Photo taken on March 9, 2025, shows a monument listing the names of the victims of the massive March 11, 2011, earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Kesennuma in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi two days ahead of the 14th anniversary of the disaster.

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

People walk a dog along a tsunami barrier embankment in Namie in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on March 9, 2025, two days ahead of the 14th anniversary of a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (background)

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

14th anniversary of 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

People walk a dog along a tsunami barrier embankment in Namie in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on March 9, 2025, two days ahead of the 14th anniversary of a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (background).

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

A 9-meter-tall lantern called Kiriko is paraded during a traditional festival on Oct. 13, 2024, in Suzu, a central Japan city in Ishikawa Prefecture that is still reeling after it was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, and heavy rain and subsequent flooding in September.

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

A 9-meter-tall lantern called Kiriko is paraded during a traditional festival on Oct. 13, 2024, in Suzu, a central Japan city in Ishikawa Prefecture that is still reeling after it was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, and heavy rain and subsequent flooding in September.

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

A 9-meter-tall lantern called Kiriko is paraded during a traditional festival on Oct. 13, 2024, in Suzu, a central Japan city in Ishikawa Prefecture that is still reeling after it was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, and heavy rain and subsequent flooding in September.

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

A 9-meter-tall lantern called Kiriko is paraded during a traditional festival on Oct. 13, 2024, in Suzu, a central Japan city in Ishikawa Prefecture that is still reeling after it was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, and heavy rain and subsequent flooding in September.

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

Parade in disaster-hit central Japan city

A 9-meter-tall lantern called Kiriko is paraded during a traditional festival on Oct. 13, 2024, in Suzu, a central Japan city in Ishikawa Prefecture that is still reeling after it was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, and heavy rain and subsequent flooding in September.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Flowers are placed on wreckage in Wajima in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa on Feb. 5, 2024, following a powerful earthquake and subsequent fire on Jan. 1 that burned down a market in the area.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Destroyed houses are pictured in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on Feb. 2, 2024, after they were hit by a strong earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Jan. 1.

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

People observe a moment of silence at 4:10 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2024, the exact time a powerful earthquake jolted a famous market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, before a subsequent fire burned it down one month ago on New Year's Day.

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

People observe a moment of silence at 4:10 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2024, the exact time a powerful earthquake jolted a famous market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, before a subsequent fire burned it down one month ago on New Year's Day.

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

1 month after strong quake in central Japan

People observe a moment of silence at 4:10 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2024, the exact time a powerful earthquake jolted a famous market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, before a subsequent fire burned it down one month ago on New Year's Day.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Photo taken on Jan. 24, 2024, shows snow covering the wreckage on the former site of a famous market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, following a strong earthquake and subsequent fire on Jan. 1.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Flowers are placed on wreckage in Wajima in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 20, 2024, following a strong earthquake and subsequent fire on Jan. 1 that burned down a market in the area.

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Aftermath of strong earthquake in central Japan

Flowers are placed on a roadside in Wajima in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 20, 2024, following a strong earthquake and subsequent fire on Jan. 1 that burned down a market in the area.

Large quake rocks Sea of Japan coast

Large quake rocks Sea of Japan coast

TV screens in Osaka show news of a large earthquake hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan and subsequent tsunami warnings in the affected regions on Jan. 1, 2024.

Large quake rocks Sea of Japan coast

Large quake rocks Sea of Japan coast

TV screens in Osaka show news of a large earthquake hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan and subsequent tsunami warnings in the affected regions on Jan. 1, 2024.

Japan-U.S. disaster drill

Japan-U.S. disaster drill

A Japan Coast Guard boat (front) is tasked with measuring radiation levels near the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan (back) during a Japan-U.S. joint disaster drill in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 15, 2023. The exercise simulates a powerful earthquake emanating from the prefecture's Miura Peninsula and a subsequent citywide power outage.

Japan-U.S. disaster drill

Japan-U.S. disaster drill

U.S. naval personnel give first-aid treatment to mock patients with a triage tag during a Japan-U.S. joint disaster drill in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Dec. 15, 2023. The exercise simulates a powerful earthquake emanating from the prefecture's Miura Peninsula and a subsequent citywide power outage.

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A child from an earthquake-stricken area is pictured at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A child from an earthquake-stricken area is pictured at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Children from an earthquake-stricken area are pictured at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A child from an earthquake-stricken area is pictured at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Children from an earthquake-stricken area are pictured at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

SYRIA-LATAKIA-EARTHQUAKE-SHELTER

(230310) -- JABLEH, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A child from an earthquake-stricken area plays football at a shelter in the city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, March 9, 2023. According to recent data, the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, and subsequent powerful quakes, have killed more than 51,000 people in the two countries, and left millions sheltering in tents. In Syria, at least 8.8 million people were affected by the earthquakes. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

Beauty shop's clock stopped since quake

Beauty shop's clock stopped since quake

TOMIOKA, Japan - A clock hung outside a beauty shop in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, remains stopped at the time of the 2011 earthquake in this photo taken on Sept. 10, 2014, the eve of the day marking three and a half years since the temblor and subsequent tsunami ravaged northeastern Japan.

Fukushima Gov. Sato speaks to reporters in Tokyo

Fukushima Gov. Sato speaks to reporters in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on June 11, 2014, following his meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Sato asked Suga to extend the five-year "concentrated reconstruction period" designated through fiscal 2015 by the government in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

No-go zones in Fukushima

No-go zones in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - The hands of a clock on the outside of a hair salon in a no-go zone in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, in January 2014 remain frozen at 2:46 p.m., the time that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The quake and a subsequent massive tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

No-go zones in Fukushima

No-go zones in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - The kitchen of a house in a no-go zone in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, remains littered with utensils in the aftermath of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, in this photo taken in November 2013, about two and a half years after the disaster. The ceiling appears to have been damaged by a roof leak and there is evidence that rats have been in the kitchen. The quake and a subsequent massive tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

No-go zones in Fukushima

No-go zones in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Messages of support for people affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami disaster, and the subsequent nuclear crisis, are seen on a blackboard at an elementary school in a no-go zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, in January 2014, almost three years after the disaster.

Quake hits northeastern Japan

Quake hits northeastern Japan

SENDAI, Japan - JR Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture is crowded with passengers as train services are suspended after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 jolted northeastern and eastern Japan on Dec. 7, 2012. The Tohoku region of northeastern Japan was devastated by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Quake hits northeastern Japan

Quake hits northeastern Japan

SENDAI, Japan - JR Sendai Station in Miyagi Prefecture is crowded with passengers as train services are suspended after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 jolted northeastern and eastern Japan on Dec. 7, 2012. The Tohoku region of northeastern Japan was devastated by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Quake hits northeastern Japan

Quake hits northeastern Japan

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - Firefighters call for evacuation from coastal areas in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, at around 5:47 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2012, following a tsunami warning after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 jolted northeastern and eastern Japan at 5:18 p.m. The Tohoku region of northeastern Japan was devastated by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Quake hits northeastern Japan

Quake hits northeastern Japan

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - Officials gather information in the city hall of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, at around 5:38 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2012, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 jolted northeastern and eastern Japan at 5:18 p.m. The Tohoku region of northeastern Japan was devastated by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Ishinomori Mangattan Museum, a museum featuring the Masked Rider series and other works of the late cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori, reopens in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Nov. 17, 2012, after closing for about 20 months since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Ishinomori Mangattan Museum, a museum featuring the Masked Rider series and other works of the late cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori, reopens in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Nov. 17, 2012, after closing for about 20 months since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

"Manga" museum reopens after tsunami

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Ishinomori Mangattan Museum, a museum featuring the Masked Rider series and other works of the late cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori, reopens in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Nov. 17, 2012, after closing for about 20 months since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Japan premier in disaster area

Japan premier in disaster area

MIYAKO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (front center) views disaster areas from the top of a levee in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 27, 2012. The areas were hit by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami. (File photo)

One and a half years after quake

One and a half years after quake

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Police officers search coastal areas of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, for the remains of people listed as missing in the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck one and a half years ago. The area is within a no-go zone due the Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the disaster.

1 and half years after quake

1 and half years after quake

OTSUCHI, Japan - Buddhist monks chant a sutra at the former town hall building of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, one and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

1 and half years after quake

1 and half years after quake

KESENNUMA, Japan - Boys head to school in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, one and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, near a large ship brought to land by the tsunami.

1 and half years after quake

1 and half years after quake

KESENNUMA, Japan - A man puts his hands together in prayer in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, one and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, at a site where a house used to be before it was swept away by the tsunami.

1 and half years after quake

1 and half years after quake

KESENNUMA, Japan - Women put their hands together in prayer in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, one and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, at an altar set up beside a large ship brought to land by the tsunami.

1 and half years after quake

1 and half years after quake

MINAMISANRIKU, Japan - Some houses destroyed by a tsunami are still left in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sept. 11, 2012, one and a half years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

1 and a half years after quake

1 and a half years after quake

SENDAI, Japan - Combination photos from a Kyodo News helicopter show an area in the city of Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 13, 2011 (top), shortly after the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and about one and a half years later on Sept. 4, 2012 (bottom).

1 and a half years after quake

1 and a half years after quake

SENDAI, Japan - Combination photos from a Kyodo News helicopter show an area in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 7, 2011 (top), shortly after the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and about one and a half years later on Sept. 4, 2012 (bottom).

1 and a half years after quake

1 and a half years after quake

SENDAI, Japan - Combination photos from a Kyodo News helicopter show an area in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 10, 2011 (top), shortly after the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and about one and a half years later on Sept. 4, 2012 (bottom).

1 and a half years after quake

1 and a half years after quake

SENDAI, Japan - Combination photos from a Kyodo News helicopter show a ballpark in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 12, 2011 (L), shortly after the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and about one and a half years later on Sept. 4, 2012 (R).