Japan assesses damage from 7.5 magnitude quake

TOKYO — Japan was assessing damage on Tuesday and cautioning people of potential aftershocks after a late-night 7.5 magnitude earthquake caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities.

At least 34 people were injured, one seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most of them were hit by falling objects, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that an emergency task force was formed to urgently assess damage. "We are putting people's lives first and doing everything we can," she said.

The 7.5 magnitude quake struck around 11:15 pm in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main Honshu island. The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.6 magnitude and said it occurred 44 kilometers below the surface.

A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters was measured in Kuji port in Iwate Prefecture, just south of Aomori, and waves up to 50 cm struck other communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported the waves damaged some oyster rafts.

The agency lifted all tsunami advisories by 6:30 am on Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without electricity and that Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region in the early hours of Tuesday.

Power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning, according to the Tohoku Electric Power Company.

About 480 residents sheltered at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.

NHK reported that about 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. Part of a domestic terminal building was unusable on Tuesday after parts of its ceiling cracked and fell to the floor, the airport operator said.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants and spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency cautioned about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido.

Agencies Via Xinhua