SIGN UP FOR OUR Tokyo — Japan activated its tsunami alert system early Tuesday local time after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima.
Japan’s north and central eastern coast is on high tsunami alert after a 7.3 quake.
The temblor, which occurred at 5:59 am (20:59 GMT Monday), was felt strongly in Tokyo, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) away.
Japanese authorities issued evacuation orders for coastal residents in Fukushima, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Iwate and Chiba prefectures.
A tsunami wave of up to 3 meters (10 feet) was expected in Fukushima, while forecasters predicted a surge of around 1 meter for the other prefectures.
Commuter rail service in eastern Japan was suspended after the quake, though officials received no reports of casualties or serious damage, the Kyodo news agency said.
The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that rocked Fukushima on March 11, 2011, is blamed for more than 18,000 deaths and inflicted catastrophic damage on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to meltdowns.
Tuesday’s quake did not have any impact on Fukushima Daiichi or the other nuclear power plants in the affected areas, NHK television reported. EFE
