JAPAN EARTHQUAKE TODAY LIVE: A worker clears debris at a shopping center damaged by the earthquake in Hachinohe city, Aomori Prefecture, on December 9, 2025.
Japan earthquake today live updates: Just hours after a strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an alert of a possible megaearthquake. About 30 people were injured and 90,000 residents were forced to flee their homes. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami up to 3 meters (10 feet) high could reach the country’s northeastern coastline. Early Tuesday, the JMA downgraded warnings to advisories and later removed all advisories.
Japan earthquake: key points
- Officials at Japan’s meteorological agency have issued a warning of a possible ‘megaquake’ after Monday’s earthquake.
- The meteorological agency said the earthquake’s magnitude was measured at 7.5, initially reported as 7.6. It issued an alert saying tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) could be seen in some places.
- Authorities later downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory before removing it.
- The epicenter was 80 km (50 mi) off the Aomori Prefecture coast at a depth of 54 km.
- The U.S. Geological Survey said another magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded early Tuesday at a depth of 35 kilometers, about 122 kilometers (76 miles) south of Honcho.
- Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency earlier said at least 23 people were injured. Public broadcaster NHK said most of the injuries were caused by falling objects, and added that several people were injured at a hotel in Hachinohe.
- Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said about 480 people were living inside Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were dispatched to investigate the extent of the damage.
- Local media reported that about 200 passengers were stranded overnight at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport.
- Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had formed an emergency team to quickly assess the extent of the damage. Later, he asked the people of the area to follow the latest updates from the local offices.
- PM Takaichi also said while talking to journalists on Tuesday morning that there is news of about 30 people being injured.
- The quake struck north of the region that suffered a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that killed about 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
- Shortly after Monday’s quake, Tohoku Electric Power said in a post on Twitter that safety systems at its Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori and its Onagawa plant in the Miyagi region had seen no abnormalities.
- Earthquakes are very difficult to predict, but in January a government panel slightly increased the chance of a major earthquake in Japan’s Nankai Trough in the coming 30 years to 75 to 82 percent.
- The government released a new estimate later in March that said a “megaquake” and subsequent tsunami could kill 298,000 people and cause up to $2 trillion in damage.
- Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. There is a vibration at least every five minutes. It is located in the ‘Ring of Fire’ of volcanoes and deep-sea trenches around the Pacific Basin and is home to about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.
Japan earthquake: key points
- Officials at Japan’s meteorological agency have issued a warning of a possible ‘megaquake’ after Monday’s earthquake.
- The meteorological agency said the earthquake’s magnitude was measured at 7.5, initially reported as 7.6. It issued an alert saying tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) could be seen in some places.
- Authorities later downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory before removing it.
- The epicenter was 80 km (50 mi) off the Aomori Prefecture coast at a depth of 54 km.
- The U.S. Geological Survey said another magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded early Tuesday at a depth of 35 kilometers, about 122 kilometers (76 miles) south of Honcho.
- Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency earlier said at least 23 people were injured. Public broadcaster NHK said most of the injuries were caused by falling objects, and added that several people were injured at a hotel in Hachinohe.
- Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said about 480 people were living inside Hachinohe Air Base and 18 defense helicopters were dispatched to investigate the extent of the damage.
- Local media reported that about 200 passengers were stranded overnight at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport.
- Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had formed an emergency team to quickly assess the extent of the damage. Later, he asked the people of the area to follow the latest updates from the local offices.
- PM Takaichi also said while talking to journalists on Tuesday morning that there is news of about 30 people being injured.
- The quake struck north of the region that suffered a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that killed about 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
- Shortly after Monday’s quake, Tohoku Electric Power said in a post on Twitter that safety systems at its Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori and its Onagawa plant in the Miyagi region had seen no abnormalities.
- Earthquakes are very difficult to predict, but in January a government panel slightly increased the chance of a major earthquake in Japan’s Nankai Trough in the coming 30 years to 75 to 82 percent.
- The government released a new estimate later in March that said a “megaquake” and subsequent tsunami could kill 298,000 people and cause up to $2 trillion in damage.
- Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. There is a vibration at least every five minutes. It is located in the ‘Ring of Fire’ of volcanoes and deep-sea trenches around the Pacific Basin and is home to about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.
Follow all updates here:
December 09, 2025 8:24:39 am First
Japan earthquake today live updates: Another earthquake in Japan, hours after deadly quake?
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE TODAY LIVE UPDATES: The U.S. Geological Survey reported another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 early Tuesday, about 122 kilometers (76 miles) south of Honcho, at a depth of 35 kilometers.
The earthquake was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks in the same area and the Japan Meteorological Agency will continue to be on alert for further earthquakes in the Hokkaido-Sanriku offshore area until December 16.
December 09, 2025 8:17:42 am First
Japan earthquake today live updates: Japan braces for more losses after powerful earthquake
Japan earthquake today live updates: Japan government formed a task force at the Crisis Management Center at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday after the earthquake at 11:16 pm.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told officials to immediately share any details on a possible tsunami and evacuation orders as appropriate, ensuring strong measures to protect people, including moving residents to safety and understanding the scale of damage as quickly as possible.
December 09, 2025 8:09:48 am First
Japan earthquake today live updates: ‘Reminded me of 2011 disaster’, says eyewitness about earthquake
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE TODAY LIVE UPDATES: Daiki Shimohata, 33, a civil servant in Hashikami, Aomori region on Honshu island, told AFP he and his family fled outside their home.
“The shock was something we had never experienced before. It lasted about 20 seconds,” Shimohata said by phone.
“We were holding our children – a two-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy – in our arms. The shaking reminded me of the disaster (in 2011),” he said.
December 09, 2025 7:55:19 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Japan earthquake was ‘Upper 6’ in seismic intensity, what does this mean?
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE LIVE UPDATES: On Japan’s 1-7 scale of seismic intensity, the quake that hit Hachinohe city of Aomori prefecture registered as “Upper 6”. This is such a strong earthquake that it becomes impossible to stand or walk without crawling.
In such tremors, most heavy furniture can collapse and wall tiles and window glass are damaged in many buildings.
December 09, 2025 7:48:04 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Water leaks from nuclear reprocessing plant in Japan after earthquake
Japan earthquake live updates: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said nuclear power stations in the area were conducting safety checks.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters of water had leaked from a used fuel cooling section at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori. It said water levels were still within normal limits and there was no threat to safety.
About 480 people were living at Hachinohe Air Base. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said 18 defense helicopters had been dispatched to survey the damage.
December 09, 2025 7:40:04 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: How magnitude 7.5 earthquake affected Japan
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE LIVE UPDATES: Footage shows multiple cracks in roads and at least one car in a crater, with broken window glass strewn across roads and sidewalks.
Initially there were reports of fire at many places. Government spokesman Minoru Kihara said Tuesday that a house fire had been confirmed.
December 09, 2025 7:33:40 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Bullet train services suspended in some areas
Japan earthquake live updates: Japan’s iconic Shinkansen bullet train service was suspended in some areas while engineers checked for any damage to the tracks after the powerful earthquake.
East Japan Railway Co. said high-speed services between Morioka in Iwate Prefecture and Shin Aomori in neighboring Aomori Prefecture would remain suspended. It said there would also be delays on the section between Morioka and Tokyo, including the Akita Shinkansen Line.
December 09, 2025 7:28:38 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Why is the earthquake risk so high in Japan?
Japan Earthquake Live Updates: Japan is one of the countries that has the highest number of earthquakes in the world and an earthquake occurs at least every five minutes.
It is located in the “Ring of Fire” where volcanoes and oceanic trenches encircle much of the Pacific Basin, and about 20% of the world’s earthquakes are magnitude 6.0 or greater.
December 09, 2025 7:24:54 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: ‘Megaquake’ headed towards Japan?
Japan earthquake live updates: Japan Meteorological Agency officials have issued a warning of a possible ‘megaquake’ after Monday’s earthquake.
A ‘megaquake’ could cause a tsunami on Japan’s Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture.
Notably, the Japanese government now issues a one-week ‘megaquake’ advisory whenever a major earthquake occurs in the region.
December 09, 2025 7:17:28 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Tsunami warning lifted
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE LIVE UPDATES: Japanese authorities lifted all tsunami warnings after a strong 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Aomori coast in the northeast late Monday.
Earlier waves of up to 70 cm (28 in) were seen in the area and local media said there were no reports of damage.
December 09, 2025 7:09:49 am First
Japan earthquake live updates: Nearly 30 people injured in powerful earthquake in Japan
Japan earthquake live updates: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takachi told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday morning that about 30 people were reported injured.
“Please listen to information from the JMA or local governments for about a week and check to see if furniture has been moved… and be prepared to evacuate when you feel shaking,” he said.
