《TAIPEI TIMES》 Major Japan earthquake triggers tsunami waves

/ AFP, TOKYO

Tsunami waves more than 1m high hit central Japan yesterday after a series of powerful earthquakes that damaged homes, closed highways and prompted authorities to urge people to run to higher ground.

A major magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa Prefecture at about 4:10pm, the US Geological Survey said.

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Japan’s weather agency reported a succession of 21 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or stronger hitting the nation’s central region in just over 90 minutes.

Tsunami waves as high as 1.2m hit Wajima port in Ishikawa Prefecture at 4:21pm, about 10 minutes after the strongest jolt, the Japan Meteorological Agency （JMA） said.

“All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” national broadcaster NHK said after the quakes.

Hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300km of the quake’s epicenter along the coast, on the Sea of Japan side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The Japanese government said it was still assessing what damage had been caused and whether there had been any casualties.

About 33,500 households around the epicenter in Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures were without power, local utilities said.

A video clip posted on social media showed lines of wooden houses toppled by the quakes, with walls and roofs caved in.

“This is the Matsunami District of Noto. We are in a horrible situation. Please come and help us. My town is in a horrible situation,” a person heard in the video said.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said there were no abnormalities reported at the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa or at other plants.

In Taipei, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan （林聿禪） said that President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） had expressed concern and condolences, as well as the hope that people in Japan could return to normal life as soon as possible.

Tsai instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei to understand the situation and express a willingness to provide assistance.

The ministry said that it had contacted the association and asked the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Osaka to find out whether any Taiwanese were trapped.

The office said that visiting Taiwanese groups and student groups had reported no injuries so far, adding that it is assisting some tourists who were unable to fly home.

The office is to continue to monitor the situation and possible tsunami events, and provide necessary assistance to Taiwanese in need.

People who encounter an emergency can call the office’s emergency line on 81-90-8794-4568, the ministry said.

Additional reporting by Liu Tzu-hsuan

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES