Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes northern Japan, tsunami alert issued

A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency JMA to issue a tsunami alert for waves up to three meters. The earthquake occurred at 4:53 PM 07:53 GMT in the Pacific waters off the coast of Iwate Prefecture. The tremors were strong enough to shake tall buildings in Tokyo, several hundred kilometers away. The JMA indicated that initial tsunami waves could reach the northern coast immediately and warned of potential damage. The agency urged residents in coastal and riverside areas to evacuate to higher ground or evacuation buildings, emphasizing that tsunami waves are expected to strike repeatedly and advising against returning until the alert is lifted. Japanese television channel NHK immediately interrupted its programming. Japan remains affected by the March 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which caused approximately 18,500 deaths or disappearances. That earthquake originated off Japan's Pacific coast along the Nankai Trough, an 800-kilometer underwater trench where the Philippine Sea oceanic plate slowly subducts beneath the continental plate on which Japan rests. The government estimates that an earthquake in the Nankai Trough followed by a tsunami could result in up to 298,000 fatalities and up to $2 trillion in damages. Japan, with approximately 125 million inhabitants, is located at the junction of four major tectonic plates on the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," making it o