Tsunami Warnings Issued in Japan after Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake

Japanese officials said to expect a tsunami of up to 3 meters in some areas after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan

By Andrea Thompson edited by Claire Cameron

Red Japanese characters at the top and bottom of a TV screen showing buildings at night near the water — An advisory reading “Tsunami! Run!” (*top*) and “Tsunami warning issued for central Hokkaido’s Pacific Coast” flashes over the live footage of a shore on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan’s northern Hokkaido prefecture, on December 9, 2025.

Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

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Japanese officials issued tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for the country’s northeast coast on Monday after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 80 kilometers off the coast at 11:15 P.M. local time. An Initial tsunami has been observed in some areas, with waves of half a meter hitting the worst-affected regions.

Railway service has been suspended in the area and thousands are reportedly without power, but so far, no issues have been reported at any nuclear power plants, according to Reuters.

Japan experienced a devastating tsunami and a catastrophic disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after a magnitude 9 earthquake hit in 2011. That earthquake was the fourth-largest ever recorded, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tsunami it created reached up to 40.5 meters.

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Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth because of its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates grind against one another.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center has said there are currently no tsunami concerns for the U.S. or Canada.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and may be updated.

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