Japan earthquake live: Powerful aftershocks strike Japan days after megaquake advisory issued
Monday night’s earthquake injured at least 51 people
Japan has recorded a series of powerful aftershocks in the past several hours, including a magnitude 5.7 earthquake near the east coast of Honshu and a 4.9 earthquake in the Hokkaido region shortly after.
Two smaller quakes, of magnitudes 3.2 and 3, were also detected near the southern coast of Honshu.
On Tuesday, Japan’s weather agency issued its highest-level warning that a megaquake could follow Monday’s powerful tremor.
The warning covers approximately 800 miles (1,300 kilometres), stretching from Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido.
Monday night’s earthquake injured at least 51 people, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. It also triggered widespread tsunami warnings, with waves of up to 70cm reported in several coastal communities.
The quake struck at around 11.15pm in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 50 miles off the coast of Aomori.
Tuesday’s notice was the first time this top-tier alert has been issued since the warning system was launched in 2022.
Google blamed for ‘dangerous’ tsunami information after Monday’s earthquake
Google’s AI-generated tsunami summaries reportedly gave dangerously false information after Monday’s earthquake in northern Japan, incorrectly saying that all tsunami warnings had been lifted while alerts were still active.
Tests by The Asahi Shimbun showed that the AI repeatedly provided outdated and inaccurate details, including wrong earthquake data.
Experts warned that such AI “hallucinations” pose serious risks during disasters, where lives depend on accurate, real-time information.
Masahiro Tsuji, a senior consultant at Faber Company Inc who specialises in the mechanics of search engines, told the outlet that using AI-powered answers during emergencies is very dangerous.
“AI-generated search results may present misinformation that appears credible, a phenomenon known as ‘hallucination,’” he said.
“False information must not be displayed--even once--in the field of disaster response, where lives are at stake,” Tsuji said.
Multiple tremors including one of magnitude 5.7 strike Japan
Japan has recorded a series of powerful aftershocks in the past several hours, including a magnitude 5.7 earthquake near the east coast of Honshu and a 4.9 earthquake in the Hokkaido region shortly after.
Two smaller quakes, of magnitudes 3.2 and 3, were also detected near the southern coast of Honshu.
These come after the magnitude-7.5 earthquake that struck the country on Monday night, after which a megaquake advisory was also issued.
Schools in northern and northeastern Japan reopened on Wednesday
Most schools in northeastern and northern Japan reopened on Wednesday after closures caused by Monday night’s magnitude-7.5 earthquake off Aomori Prefecture, though a rare megaquake alert remains in effect for coastal regions from Hokkaido to Chiba.
Over 300 schools across five prefectures – Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima – were closed on Tuesday, with some remaining shut due to quake damage.
Students have been asked to be ready for immediate evacuation for about a week.
At reopened schools, including a public elementary in Hachinohe, Aomori, no injuries were reported, and children quickly returned to normal routines, Mainichi reported.
Teachers conducted drills and reviewed evacuation procedures, while students shared experiences of fear and family preparedness following the quake, the outlet reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had issued tsunami warnings for parts of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate, with Kuji Port recording a 70-centimetre wave.
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Recap: Latest quake had a magnitude of 5.7 off Honshu island
On Wednesday, the latest quake took place in a series of earthquakes which have occurred in Japan recently.
The most recent earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7 and struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
The quake was at a depth of 31 km, EMSC said. It was earlier reported as having a magnitude at 6.5 and depth at 57 km but this was downgraded.
There were no immediate reports of damage after the quake.
Map shows where latest earthquake struck
The latest earthquake has struck off the north east coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu.
The epicentre, the red circle in the GEOFON map below, is also south of the smaller island of Hokkaido.
Why did Japan issue an advisory for possible megaquake?
On Tuesday, Japan issued a megaquake advisory after a magnitude 7.5 struck off the eastern coast of Aomori, north of the main island of Honshu.
The areas covered by the advisory extend across 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba prefecture.
Japan’s Meterological Agency said that Monday’s quake increased potential risks in the regions of Hokkaido and Sanriku coast due to the Pacific plate which has been home to many earthquakes in the past.
They warned another offshore megaquake in the Hokkaido-Sanriku area could cause up to a 30-meter (98-foot) tsunami in the region, kill as many as 199,000 people, destroy up to 220,000 houses and buildings, and cause estimated economic damages of up to 31 trillion yen ($198 billion), according to an estimate by the government. It says as many as 42,000 people could suffer from hypothermia in the winter.
Watch: Moment powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Monday
What happend during the 2011 earthquake?
Japan saw a deadly earthquake and tsunami in 2011 which was caused by movement associated with the Japan Trench. It spans from off the eastern coast of Chiba to Aomori, and the Chishima Trench goes from the eastern coast of Hokkaido to the northern islands and the Kurils.
The 2011 quake caused a tsunami that battered northern coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The tsunami, which topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, slammed into and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. That created deep fears of radiation that linger to this day.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami claimed the lives of 15,894, and the subsequent damage to the reactors at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant causing the nuclear disaster forced 99,750 people to live as evacuees away from contaminated areas.
Japanese government warns megaquake could kill 300,000 and halve GDP
The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was an increased possibility of an earthquake of magnitude 8 or stronger along the Japan Trench and the Chishima Trench, marking its first activation of a top-tier alert since the system was introduced in 2022.
The Independent's Asia Climate correspondent Stuti Mishra reports:
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