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Key events
There are no nuclear power plants currently in operation in Hokkaido and Tohoku regions but Hokkaido Electric Power Co and Tohoku Electric Power Co have a number of shutdown nuclear power plants there.
Tohoku Electric said it was checking the impact of the earthquake and tsunami on its Onagawa nuclear power plant.
People in affected areas urged to evacuate
The strength of the earthquake has been revised up to 7.5 and the biggest waves due to the tsunami are expected in Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, authorities said.
Reuters reported that prime minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force and urged citizens in the affected areas to evacuate to safety.
Broadcaster NHK showed ships sailing out of Hachinohe port in Hokkaido in anticipation of the waves, as an alert ’Tsunami! Evacuate!’ flashed across the screen.
Bullet train services in Aomori at the northern tip of Japan’s main Honshu island were halted due to the tremors, Kyodo news agency reported.
Tsunami alert issued after powerful quake off northern Japan
A powerful earthquake has struck off the northern Japanese coast, and the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami alert in the region.
The quake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 p.m. (0753 GMT), at a depth of about 10km (6 miles) below the sea surface, the agency said.
Japan’s NHK public television said a tsunami of up to 3 meters (10 feet) could hit the area shortly.
