On Monday, an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan’s western shore. Authorities indicate that while the natural disaster harmed multiple nuclear power facilities to some extent, no “abnormalities” have been detected thus far.
In March 2011, the country was hit by terrible tremors and massive waves that killed 18,000 people and caused meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant – the worst such occurrence since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Soviet Ukraine.
The initial earthquake measured seven, the maximum intensity specified by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Shindo seismic scale, which measures the severity of the tremor at the surface.
Several aftershocks followed, with the agency issuing a tsunami warning for coastal Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama and Yamagata prefectures.
Speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida appealed to people living “in areas where tsunamis are expected,” saying “I would like to request that they evacuate as soon as possible.”
According to the national broadcaster NHK, waves in some areas may have reached a height of 5 meters.
During an emergency press conference, government spokesperson Hayashi Yoshimasa said authorities were assessing the extent of the earthquake’s damage and warned citizens to brace themselves for more earthquakes.
