Japan Meteorological Agency

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 occurred in the sea east of Iwate Prefecture, Japan, at approximately 5:03 PM on the 9th, prompting a tsunami advisory for the Iwate coast.

The Japan Meteorological Agency initially estimated the earthquake's magnitude at 6.7 before revising it upward to 6.9.

The epicenter was located in a sea area 204 km east of Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, with a focal depth of 10 km.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the magnitude 6.9 earthquake was felt with an intensity of 4 in areas such as Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture and Wakunoya Town in Miyagi Prefecture.

Japan's seismic intensity scale, known as "Shindo," unlike "magnitude" which refers to absolute strength, is a relative concept that quantifies the perceived shaking and movement of objects in a specific location during an earthquake.

An intensity of 4 typically means that most people are startled and hanging light fixtures sway considerably.

The Meteorological Agency also issued a tsunami advisory, warning that tsunami waves of up to 1 meter could occur along the Iwate coast due to this earthquake.

Consequently, evacuation orders were issued for some coastal residents, including approximately 6,000 people in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture.

However, the actual observed tsunami heights at Kuji Port and Ofunato Port in Iwate Prefecture have so far been limited to around 20 cm.

Following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake, several aftershocks, including magnitudes 6.3 and 5.6, occurred.

A representative from the Meteorological Agency urged continued caution, stating that "sometimes the second or third tsunami wave can be higher than the first."

NHK reported that there were no abnormalities at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture, and no special damage information has been received from local governments.

However, the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train service between Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture and Shin-Aomori Station in Aomori Prefecture was temporarily suspended for about 20 minutes due to a power outage before resuming operations.

The Japanese government has established an information liaison office at the Prime Minister's Official Residence Crisis Management Center to gather further details on the damage situation.

Professor Shinichi Sakai of the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute told NHK that this earthquake occurred in the vicinity of the area where the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 took place, suggesting it could be part of a series of activities related to the 2011 major earthquake. He added that while it is difficult to predict, seismic activity may continue for some time.

Yonhap News