Japan warns 182 municipalities to prepare for major earthquake
Japan has urged 182 municipalities in seven prefectures to stay ready for immediate evacuation after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake off the Sanriku coast.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 21), the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo said a magnitude 7.7 earthquake had struck off the Sanriku coast a day earlier, on Monday (April 20), triggering a maximum seismic intensity of upper 5 on Japan’s scale in Aomori Prefecture and causing tsunami waves in several coastal areas.
Japan later lifted all tsunami advisories at 11.45pm on the same day.
However, the Japan Meteorological Agency has since warned that another major earthquake could occur within the next week along the Pacific coast near the Chishima Trench and the Japan Trench.
The advisory covers 182 municipalities across seven prefectures — Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba — with residents urged to remain ready for immediate evacuation if necessary.
The embassy also advised Thai nationals in Japan to follow official updates closely and stay prepared in case of an emergency.
