The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake at a depth of about 10 km, about 100 km off the Sanriku Coast, which lies on the northeastern part of Honshū Island, slightly before 4.55 pm Japan Standard Time (slightly before 7.55 am GMT) on Monday 20 April 2026.
A tsunami warning was issued in the immediate aftermath of the event, with about 170 000 advised to seek shelter, but in the event, no major tsunami occurred, with a wave 80 cm high being observed in places. Rail services were temporarily suspended. A number of aftershocks have followed the initial event.
Japan has a complex tectonic situation, with parts of the country on four different tectonic plates. Aomori Prefecture lies on the convergent margin where the Okhotsk Plate is pushed against the Eurasian Plate, with the Pacific Plate being subducted beneath the Okhotsk Plate to the east. This is not a smooth process; the rocks of the two plates constantly stick together, only to break apart again as the pressure builds up, causing Earthquakes in the process.
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