Japan issues tsunami warning after 7.4-magnitude quake off Sanriku coast

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering tsunami warnings.

Tsunami warnings as high as 3m have been declared for the Japanese coastline on April 20, 2026.

The powerful earthquake hit off the Sanriku coast at 4.53 p.m. local time, with its epicenter reported to be at latitude 39.8 north and longitude 143.2 east, per Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The earthquake intensity was recorded as upper 5 on Japan’s seismic scale, with 7 being the highest.

As per the scale ratings, upper 85 shows that “most people find it difficult to walk without holding on to a stable object” and that unfixed furniture may fall over.”

The strong quake hit at a depth of about 10km and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.4.

However, earlier, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center had reported that the magnitude was recorded at a scale of 7.3.

System checks underway at Japan's nuclear power plants after 7.4 quake

On the other hand, Japanese bullet train Tohoku Shinkansen officials said service has temporarily been halted between Tokyo and Shin-Anmori.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company issued a statement and said it’s checking to see if the quake has caused any disruptions at its Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants.

Similarly, the Tohoku Electric Power Company is also performing system checks at its Onagawa nuclear power plant located in Aomori Prefecture.