TOKYO – A series of strong earthquakes, with major ones measuring up to 7.6 in magnitude, struck the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa today, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
A major tsunami warning has been issued by the JMA for the Noto region, urging people to evacuate immediately, following tsunami warnings for the Niigata, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures of the Japan Sea side of the country.
The quake registered an intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, which peaks at 7, with tremors felt in multiple regions of the country, reported Xinhua.
According to the weather agency, the latest major temblor occurred at 4.10pm local time (3.10pm in Malaysia) at a shallow depth.
The quake’s epicentre was located at Ishikawa’s Noto region, at 37.5° north latitude and 137.2° east longitude.
Meanwhile, MetMalaysia said there was no threat of a tsunami hitting Malaysia following the quake.
Gempa bumi kuat M7.0 berlaku berhampiran Pantai Barat Honshu, Jepun pukul 3:10 petang, 1 Januari 2024, berpusat di 37.6° Utara dan 137.3° Timur dengan kedalaman 53 km. 97km Utara dari Toyama,Jepun.Tiada ancaman tsunami kepada Malaysia.#gempabumiMETMalaysia#mygempa.met.gov.my pic.twitter.com/rVD9Ma3nCH
— Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (@metmalaysia) January 1, 2024
– January 1, 2024