Camille Naredo

This photo shows a warning message on a screen from a live feed on NHK with tsunami alert after an earthquake hit northern Japan, in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. Philip Fong, AFP

This photo shows a warning message on a screen from a live feed on NHK with tsunami alert after an earthquake hit northern Japan, in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on April 20, Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, issuing a tsunami warning for waves up to three metres (10 feet). (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

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Japan

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776680077742AFP__20260420__A8DH463__v1__MidRes__JapanEarthquake.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This photo shows a warning message on a screen from a live feed on NHK with tsunami alert after an earthquake hit northern Japan, in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. Philip Fong, AFP" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This photo shows a warning message on a screen from a live feed on NHK with tsunami alert after an earthquake hit northern Japan, in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. <em>Philip Fong, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>TOKYO, Japan (<strong>2nd UPDATE</strong>) -- Japan issued a special advisory on Monday warning of an increased risk of earthquakes at magnitude 8.0 or stronger, after a powerful jolt rattled the country&#x27;s north and prompted a tsunami warning.</p><p>The Japan Meteorological Agency&#x27;s advisory came a few hours after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in Pacific waters off northern Iwate prefecture at 4:53 pm (0753 GMT).</p><p>The jolt was so intense that it shook large buildings in the capital Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the epicenter.</p><p>The meteorological agency said that &quot;the likelihood of a new, huge earthquake occurring is relatively higher than during normal times&quot;.</p><p>Municipalities in the affected region issued non-compulsory evacuation directives to more than 182,000 residents, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.</p><p>Around 40 minutes after the quake, an 80-centimetre (31-inch) tsunami wave hit a port in Kuji in Iwate, according to the weather agency, which had initially estimated the magnitude at 7.4 before revising it upwards.</p><p>The agency said the later advisory about another possible earthquake only reflected an elevated risk, rather than providing any specific predictions.</p><p>&quot;Although the probability is low, there is a possibility of another major earthquake occurring; therefore, please review your earthquake preparedness measures in these areas,&quot; it said in a statement.</p><p>There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or significant damage, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference.</p><p>Footage from national broadcaster NHK showed no clearly visible damage around several ports in Iwate.</p><p>But officials have reiterated that aftershocks could strike the area over the coming week, particularly within the next two to three days, potentially &quot;causing even stronger shaking&quot;.</p><p>Later in the evening, authorities had downgraded tsunami warnings for waves up to one metre (3.3 feet) to advisories along the vast northeastern Pacific coast, including in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. It later lifted these advisories altogether around midnight, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Megaquake&#x27; fears -</strong></div><p>The prime minister&#x27;s office said it had set up a crisis management team, and the government was working to establish whether there were any casualties or serious property damage.</p><p>&quot;For those of you who live in areas for which the warnings have been issued, please evacuate to higher, safer places,&quot; Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.</p><p>Japan is one of the world&#x27;s most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific &quot;Ring of Fire&quot;.</p><p>The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world&#x27;s earthquakes.</p><p>The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth&#x27;s surface at which they strike.</p><p>Japan is haunted by the memory of a <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/multimedia/photo/03/11/21/remembering-victims-of-2011-japan-earthquake-and-fukushima-nuclear-disaster">massive 9.0-magnitude undersea quake in 2011</a>, which triggered a tsunami that killed or left around 18,500 people missing and caused a devastating meltdown at the <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/24/23/japan-starts-releasing-radioactive-water-into-sea">Fukushima nuclear plant</a>.</p><p>In 2024, the weather agency issued its first special advisory of a possible &quot;megaquake&quot; along the Nankai Trough.</p><p>This 800-kilometre undersea trench is where the Philippine Sea oceanic tectonic plate is &quot;subducting&quot; -- or slowly slipping -- underneath the continental plate that Japan sits atop.</p><p>The government has said a quake in the Nankai Trough and subsequent tsunami could kill as many as 298,000 people and cause up to $2 trillion in damage.</p><p>Another week-long &quot;megaquake&quot; advisory was issued in December 2025 after a magnitude-7.5 tremor struck off the northern coast, injuring more than 40 people but causing no major damage.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/02/13/17/safety-first-what-to-do-when-a-deadly-quake-strikes">Safety first: What to do when a deadly quake strikes </a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lc8-gaVJ8A4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Japan issued a special advisory on Monday warning of an increased risk of earthquakes at magnitude 8.0 or stronger, after a powerful jolt rattled the country's north and prompted a tsunami warning.</p>

Japan issued a special advisory on Monday warning of an increased risk of earthquakes at magnitude 8.0 or stronger, after a powerful jolt rattled the country's north and prompted a tsunami warning.

Japan issues warning after 7.7-magnitude quake hits north

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Japan issues warning after 7.7-magnitude quake hits north

Hiroshi Hiyama,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 20, 2026 04:25 PM PHT

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Updated April 21, 2026 01:02 AM PHT

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