The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.
Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate seaside areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline on Monday. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 pm, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.
This is a LIVE blog run by the India TV team. Please follow the page for the latest updates related to the powerful earthquakes.No irregularities have been detected at nuclear power plants in Japan following a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at an emergency press conference in Tokyo on Monday (January 1). Utility provider Hokuriku Electric Power’s Shika plant in Ishikawa prefecture, the closest facility to the quake’s epicentre, was among those reporting no damage, Hayashi said. Hayashi added that the authorities were still checking the extent of damage and warned residents to prepare for possible further quakes.