TOKYO — Japan was assessing damage and warning people Tuesday of possible aftershocks after night earthquake of magnitude 7.5 caused injuries, minor damage and a tsunami in coastal communities in the Pacific Ocean.
At least 33 people were injured, one seriously, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Most were hit by falling objects, public broadcaster NHK said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that an emergency task force had been formed to urgently assess the damage. “We put people’s lives first and do the best we can,” she said.
At Tuesday's parliamentary session, Takaichi promised the government would continue to make every effort and reminded people they must protect their lives.
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck around 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main island of Honshu. The US Geological Survey assessed the quake as a magnitude 7.6 and said it occurred 44 kilometers (27 miles) below the earth's surface.
A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet 4 inches) was recorded at the port of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture, south of Aomori, and waves of up to 50 centimeters hit other populated areas in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. NHK reported that the waves damaged several oyster rafts.
The agency canceled all tsunami warnings by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said about 800 homes were without power and Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were stopped in parts of the region early Tuesday. East Japan Railway said it intends to resume high-speed train services in the region later on Tuesday.
Power had largely been restored by Tuesday morning, according to Tohoku Electric Power Co.
About 480 residents sheltering at Hachinohe Air Base and 18 military helicopters were mobilized to assess the damage, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
About 200 passengers were stranded overnight at Hokkaido's new Chitose Airport, NHK reported. Part of the domestic terminal building became 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 (118 gallons) of water leaked from the spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but water levels remained within the normal range and there were no safety concerns. No abnormalities were found at other nuclear power plants or spent fuel storage facilities, the NRA said.
The JMA warned of possible aftershocks in the coming days. It says there is a slight increase in risk magnitude 8 earthquake and a possible tsunami along the northeast coast of Japan from Chiba, east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents of the region's 182 municipalities to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the warning is not a serious forecast.
Monday's earthquake occurred north of the coastal region, where 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 About 20,000 people died and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was destroyed.
“You need to prepare in the belief that such a disaster could happen again,” JMA spokesman Satoshi Harada said.
Smaller tremors continued Tuesday. The USGS reported a magnitude 6.6 quake and then a magnitude 5.1 quake hours after the first quake.
