Earthquake Hits Japan Hours After Small Tsunami


A series of earthquakes hit Japan this morning in the same region that was devastated by the tsunami nearly one year ago. The earthquakes didn’t cause any immediate damage.

The Washington Post reports that a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Hokkaido and caused a small tsunami. A few hours later a series of earthquakes hit Tokyo and northeastern Japan. Some communities along the coast were evacuated but the Meteorological Agency lifted the tsunami advisories shortly after.

The earthquake occurred about three hours after the tsunami warning. The 6.1 magnitude quake was centered off the coast of Chiba, just east of Tokyo. The Narita International Airport was closed briefly but has now resumed operation.

Sunday, March 11th, was the one year anniversary of the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that killed close to 19,000 people. Last year’s earthquake demolished buildings, wiped away towns, and damaged Japan’s nuclear power plants. The Associated Press reports that no abnormalities were reported at the nuclear power plants today.

A spokesman for Tohoku Electric Power said:

“There was no damage to our nuclear power facilities following the earthquake. We have not monitored any change in radiation levels around the facilities following the quake.”

Many towns in Japan are still rebuilding from last year’s disaster. An evacuation was ordered in the town of Otsuchi in the Iwate prefecture, where 800 people died during the 2011 tsunami, as a precaution by the prefectural disaster management. No damage or injuries have been reported.

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