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| Japan earthquake: 7.4 magnitude quake prompts tsunami warning – live updates | Japan earthquake: 7.4 magnitude quake prompts tsunami warning – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 1.25am GMT | |
| 01:25 | |
| Transport has been affected by the quake and subsequent alerts. | |
| Sendai port and Suma port have been affected by tsunami waves, although the warning has now been downgraded to an advisory. | |
| Flights to and from Sendai airport have been delayed or cancelled. | |
| Flights to Sendai Airport have been delayed or cancelled following a 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Fukushima. https://t.co/6DlfdBRk17 pic.twitter.com/JVguishM31 | |
| 1.13am GMT | |
| 01:13 | |
| Associated Press has more on that incident – now resolved – at the Fukushima power plant: | |
| A utility official says he believes a cooling water pump that stopped working at a Japanese nuclear power plant after a strong earthquake was shut off automatically by a safety system as the water in the pool shook. | |
| The utility says a backup pump was launched to restore cooling water to spent fuel storage pool at the No 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daini plant. | |
| The plant is close to the Fukushima Daiichi plant that went into meltdown in 2011 after a tsunami swamped the plant, knocking out power to the cooling systems. Both plants are operated by Tokyo-based Tepco. | |
| Naohiro Masuda, head of Tepco’s decommissioning unit, said decommissioning work at the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi plant has been temporarily suspended because of the earthquake. | |
| 1.10am GMT | |
| 01:10 | |
| 1.05am GMT | |
| 01:05 | |
| Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary, also addressed reporters’ questions about the Fukushima power plant. | |
| He confirmed the affected reactor had resumed cooling function after a temporary stoppage. | |
| Japan’s nuclear power plants have the most strict regulations in the world. | |
| We always think of the worst-case scenario … safety is the utmost priority. | |
| 1.02am GMT | |
| 01:02 | |
| Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary, is speaking at a press conference. | |
| He says tsunami warnings have been lifted and downgraded to “advisory”, adding: | |
| Residents, please continue to evacuate … and please always listen to the latest information. | |
| Suga says a 1.4m tidal wave was observed at Sendai, and tsunami waves were observed to the Izu Islands. | |
| He says it is hard to say exactly whether another quake would occur but the decision to downgrade the alert was based on information from the Japan Meteorological Agency. | |
| Suga says the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who is overseas, “directly called me” to instruct the government to take adequate measures: | |
| The government will continue to address how many people have sustained injury. | |
| 12.52am GMT | 12.52am GMT |
| 00:52 | 00:52 |
| Tsunami warnings downgraded | Tsunami warnings downgraded |
| Tsunami warnings for the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures have been downgraded to alerts, a lower level of risk. | Tsunami warnings for the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures have been downgraded to alerts, a lower level of risk. |
| People in those areas are still advised to avoid the shore. | |
| Tsunami advisories have been lifted entirely for some coastal regions: the Pacific coast of Aomori prefecture; the Kujukuri and Sotobo area and the Uchibo area of Chiba prefecture; and the Izu islands. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.55am GMT | |
| 12.46am GMT | 12.46am GMT |
| 00:46 | 00:46 |
| The epicentre of the earthquake is off the coast of Fukushima. | The epicentre of the earthquake is off the coast of Fukushima. |
| The magnitude 7.4 quake hit at a depth of around 20km, according to latest reports. | The magnitude 7.4 quake hit at a depth of around 20km, according to latest reports. |
| 12.37am GMT | 12.37am GMT |
| 00:37 | 00:37 |
| The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 240km (150 miles) southwest of the epicentre. | The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 240km (150 miles) southwest of the epicentre. |
| Kirsty Brown is an Australian who has been living in Tokyo with her husband and 18-month-old daughter for just seven weeks. The family lives 20 minutes from Shinkjuku, and woke up to the earthquake early this morning: | Kirsty Brown is an Australian who has been living in Tokyo with her husband and 18-month-old daughter for just seven weeks. The family lives 20 minutes from Shinkjuku, and woke up to the earthquake early this morning: |
| I’d experienced a small quake here on one of our visits several years ago. I thought my husband pushed me out of the bed that time, but this was quite a good deal stronger, and you could feel the whole house wobble. The sensation was similar to your bed suddenly deciding to zig-zag, and it lasted for around 90 seconds. | I’d experienced a small quake here on one of our visits several years ago. I thought my husband pushed me out of the bed that time, but this was quite a good deal stronger, and you could feel the whole house wobble. The sensation was similar to your bed suddenly deciding to zig-zag, and it lasted for around 90 seconds. |
| No alarms went off, no alerts came to our phones. My dog and husband rolled over and went back to sleep, but I immediately took to my phone to see if I should be getting us ready for a bigger quake. | No alarms went off, no alerts came to our phones. My dog and husband rolled over and went back to sleep, but I immediately took to my phone to see if I should be getting us ready for a bigger quake. |
| On moving here we were told about earthquake preparedness – similar to prepping for bushfires back home – so I was thinking about getting our backpack with water and clothes ready, and whether or not I needed to switch off the mains in the house. | On moving here we were told about earthquake preparedness – similar to prepping for bushfires back home – so I was thinking about getting our backpack with water and clothes ready, and whether or not I needed to switch off the mains in the house. |
| But nothing happened, and there was no commotion outside, so within 30 minutes we were peacefully back to sleep – and have just now woken up again to the sounds of the junior school across from us starting their day as usual. | But nothing happened, and there was no commotion outside, so within 30 minutes we were peacefully back to sleep – and have just now woken up again to the sounds of the junior school across from us starting their day as usual. |
| And another reader tweets me to say: | And another reader tweets me to say: |
| @Claire_Phipps Australian on hols in Tokyo, Sumida. Building was shaking and swaying for 5 mins at 6am | @Claire_Phipps Australian on hols in Tokyo, Sumida. Building was shaking and swaying for 5 mins at 6am |
| 12.31am GMT | 12.31am GMT |
| 00:31 | 00:31 |
| Nissan is suspending work at its Fukushima factory, Reuters reports: | Nissan is suspending work at its Fukushima factory, Reuters reports: |
| Nissan Motor Co said it would suspend work at its engine factory in Fukushima at least until a tsunami warning is lifted after a powerful earthquake rocked northern Japan early on Tuesday. | Nissan Motor Co said it would suspend work at its engine factory in Fukushima at least until a tsunami warning is lifted after a powerful earthquake rocked northern Japan early on Tuesday. |
| A spokesman said there were no injuries or damage at the plant, which was badly damaged in an earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011. | A spokesman said there were no injuries or damage at the plant, which was badly damaged in an earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 2011. |
| Separately, Toyota Motor Corp said all its factories in northeastern Japan were operating as usual. | Separately, Toyota Motor Corp said all its factories in northeastern Japan were operating as usual. |
| 12.20am GMT | 12.20am GMT |
| 00:20 | 00:20 |
| Police: two people injured | Police: two people injured |
| Japan’s National Police Agency has said two people were slightly injured during the quake. | Japan’s National Police Agency has said two people were slightly injured during the quake. |
| NHK News reports that one woman in Yabuki, Fukushima prefecture, was hurt when a cupboard fell over. | NHK News reports that one woman in Yabuki, Fukushima prefecture, was hurt when a cupboard fell over. |
| A man in Fukushima city is also reported to have suffered minor wounds. | A man in Fukushima city is also reported to have suffered minor wounds. |
| 12.16am GMT | 12.16am GMT |
| 00:16 | 00:16 |
| Experts in Australia have been assessing today’s earthquake against the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami: | Experts in Australia have been assessing today’s earthquake against the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami: |
| Professor James Goff, director of the Australia-Pacific tsunami research centre and natural hazards research laboratory, University of New South Wales, says: | Professor James Goff, director of the Australia-Pacific tsunami research centre and natural hazards research laboratory, University of New South Wales, says: |
| In general, with the size of the earthquake experienced, I would not expect any wave to reach the heights of those experienced in 2011, but that does not mean that this event will not be damaging. Tsunamis as small as 90cm can be extremely damaging and so in a sense, we are ‘watching this space’… | In general, with the size of the earthquake experienced, I would not expect any wave to reach the heights of those experienced in 2011, but that does not mean that this event will not be damaging. Tsunamis as small as 90cm can be extremely damaging and so in a sense, we are ‘watching this space’… |
| One concern is not necessarily the size of the earthquake itself but whether or not it might generate submarine landslides that can themselves generate large tsunamis. | One concern is not necessarily the size of the earthquake itself but whether or not it might generate submarine landslides that can themselves generate large tsunamis. |
| Associate professor Dale Dominey-Howes, disaster risk management expert at the University of Sydney, says: | Associate professor Dale Dominey-Howes, disaster risk management expert at the University of Sydney, says: |
| Today’s event is much smaller than the 2011 catastrophic event. The earthquake maybe an aftershock of the 2011 event. It has affected the same region as the 2011 event. | Today’s event is much smaller than the 2011 catastrophic event. The earthquake maybe an aftershock of the 2011 event. It has affected the same region as the 2011 event. |
| A regional tsunami has been generated – smaller than 2011 but still potentially dangerous. People who live in the region have been advised to evacuate, with authorities taking no chances after the 2011 disaster. | A regional tsunami has been generated – smaller than 2011 but still potentially dangerous. People who live in the region have been advised to evacuate, with authorities taking no chances after the 2011 disaster. |
| Residents in the region are still struggling to recover from the 2011 event resulting in compound socio-psychological impacts on survivors. Aftershocks will continue in the region for days to weeks to come. | Residents in the region are still struggling to recover from the 2011 event resulting in compound socio-psychological impacts on survivors. Aftershocks will continue in the region for days to weeks to come. |