A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off northeastern Japan late Monday, December 8, 2025, injuring at least 51 people, causing extensive infrastructure damage, and triggering mass evacuations along the Pacific coast.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued initial tsunami warnings for Aomori, Iwate, and Hokkaido prefectures, reporting waves up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) at Kuji Port.
By Tuesday morning, all advisories were lifted, though authorities remained on high alert due to ongoing aftershocks and a rare “megaquake” advisory, signaling a slight risk of a magnitude 8.0+ event along the northeastern coast.
The quake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. GMT), about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, at a depth of 54 kilometers (33.5 miles).
JMA recorded the tremor at 7.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated 7.6, attributing it to thrust faulting along the Japan Trench, where the Pacific Plate converges with the Okhotsk Plate at a rate of 7.9-9.2 cm per year.
