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>UPDATED</strong>) -- A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan Monday, shaking large buildings in Tokyo hundreds of kilometers away and prompting a warning for tsunami waves of up to three meters (10 feet).</p><p>The quake hit at 4:53 pm (0753 GMT) in Pacific waters off northern Iwate prefecture, Japan&#x27;s Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.</p><p>Around 40 minutes later, an 80-centimetre (31-inch) tsunami wave hit a port in Kuji in Iwate, according to the JMA, which initially estimated the quake&#x27;s strength at 7.4 but later revised it upwards.</p><p>&quot;Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building,&quot; it said, warning that damage due to tsunami waves was expected.</p><p>&quot;Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted,&quot; it said.</p><p>Footage from national broadcaster NHK did not show any immediate visible damage around several ports in Iwate.</p><p>A JMA official warned in a televised press briefing that more quakes could strike the area within the next week, particularly within the next two to three days, potentially &quot;causing even stronger shaking&quot;.</p><p>The prime minister&#x27;s office said it had set up a crisis management team.</p><p>&quot;For those of you who live in areas for which the warnings have been issued, please evacuate to higher, safer places such as higher ground,&quot; Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters, adding that the government was trying to confirm whether there were any casualties or property damage.</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 JMA 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>The JMA lifted the 2024 advisory after a week but it led to panic-buying of staples like rice and prompted holidaymakers to cancel hotel reservations.</p><p>It issued a week-long second &quot;megaquake&quot; advisory in December 2025 after a magnitude-7.5 tremor struck off the northern coast.</p><p>The December 8 quake triggered tsunami waves of up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) and injured more than 40 people, but no major damage was reported.</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>A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan Monday, shaking large buildings in Tokyo hundreds of kilometres away and prompting a warning for tsunami waves of up to three metres (10 feet).</p>

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan Monday, shaking large buildings in Tokyo hundreds of kilometres away and prompting a warning for tsunami waves of up to three metres (10 feet).

Tsunami warning as major quake hits northern Japan, shakes Tokyo

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Tsunami warning as major quake hits northern Japan, shakes Tokyo

Hiroshi Hiyama,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 20, 2026 04:25 PM PHT

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Updated April 20, 2026 06:15 PM PHT

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