Japan earthquake: is it safe to travel amid ‘megaquake’ warning and tsunami alerts?

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What happened in the Japan earthquake?

A powerful earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Japan’s Aomori Prefecture at 11.15pm local time on Monday, 8 December.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency recorded the magnitude at 7.5 on its initial reports, with the epicentre laying roughly 80km offshore at a depth of around 44km, caused by thrust faulting –where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another along the Japan Trench. Shaking lasted for around 30 seconds and was felt as far away as Tokyo.

Within minutes, the JMA issued tsunami warnings for Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, as harbour cameras showed the sea pulling back then rushing in. Ports along the northeast rim, including Kuji in Iwate and Urakawa in Hokkaido, recorded waves of up to 70cm.

By 6.30am on Tuesday, all tsunami warnings and advisories had been cancelled as gauges showed the waves subsiding. Nevertheless, the government’s disaster taskforce remains on high alert, with aftershocks including at least one magnitude-6.6 event rattling the region, and a “subsequent earthquake advisory” remaining in force along the Pacific side of northern Honshu and Hokkaido for the coming week.

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Which areas of Japan have been affected by the earthquake?

Tohoku and northern Honshu (Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi)

This is the area closest to the epicentre and has seen the strongest shaking and tsunami impact. Towns such as Hachinohe and Kuji have reported injuries, broken glass, toppled shelves and cracked or heaved road surfaces. In Hachinohe, building facades and shop windows were damaged, while a damaged road in Tohoku town left one car stuck in a large depression. Two small fires were reported in Aomori City and a hospital in Mutsu had to evacuate patients after a sprinkler system failure. Around 1,360 homes in Aomori and Iwate lost water service due to broken pipes.

Hokkaido

New Chitose Airport near Sapporo closed runways temporarily for inspections, and part of a domestic terminal ceiling collapsed, stranding around 200 passengers overnight, although there have been no reports of serious injuries at the airport. A handful of people in Tomakomai were hurt in falls, and some coastal communities experienced short-lived power cuts. Resorts in central and northern Hokkaido – including popular winter destinations like Furano and Niseko – are well away from the epicentre and have so far reported little more than minor rattling and brief power flickers.

Tokyo and central Honshu

The capital felt a prolonged but moderate tremor. Trains briefly slowed or paused as automatic safety systems kicked in, but services have mostly returned to normal. There are no reports of significant damage in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya or Kyoto.

Western Japan (Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Okinawa)

Western and southern regions, including Kansai, Kyushu and Okinawa, are largely unaffected. Flights, ferries and Shinkansen services in these areas are operating normally.