Strong quake prompts tsunami warning for Japan’s western coast

A powerful earthquake measuring a 7 on the Japanese scale — the strongest on the scale — rocked central Japan on Monday, prompting a tsunami warning for a broad swath of the country’s western coast.

The tsunami warning urged people to quickly leave coastal areas of Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama and Yamagata prefectures, with over 1.2 meter waves reaching the Noto Peninsula’s Wajima Port in Ishikawa — where a rare major tsunami warning had been issued — around 4:21 p.m., NHK reported.

The tsunami warnings were punctuated by several aftershocks following the initial quake, which registered an estimated magnitude of 7.4,​​ struck the Noto Peninsula, with waves as high as 5 meters predicted to hit the area.

Waves of 80 cm reached Toyama Prefecture around 4:35 p.m and waves of 40 meters also reached Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, at 4:36 p.m. It also reached Niigata’s Sado Island at 4:10 p.m.

The tsunami was also expected to hit Yamagata and Hyogo prefectures.