Earthquake in Japan’s Northeast Prompts a Tsunami Warning

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan on Saturday evening, prompting a tsunami warning that was quickly lifted.

The quake, which hit just after 6 p.m., lasted for over 30 seconds and could be felt strongly in Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter.

The epicenter was roughly 35 miles below the ocean’s floor off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, according to the Japan Meterological Agency. The authorities initially warned of the possibility of a tsunami of about 3 feet, but the warning was soon lifted.

As of 7:30 p.m., a handful of people had been lightly injured, according to the public broadcaster NHK.

A map released by the U.S. Geological Survey showed the epicenter of the earthquake on Saturday.Credit…U.S. Geological Survey

The quake came just over a week after the 10th anniversary of the huge 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Fukushima Prefecture, also in the northeast, and led to a triple nuclear meltdown.

Power was out in some parts of Miyagi, just north of Fukushima, NHK said.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, which maintains the disabled plants in Fukushima, said on Twitter that it was checking for damage there. Another utility, Tohoku Electric, wrote that it was checking the status of a nuclear power facility on Miyagi’s coast.

JR East said it had temporarily halted service on part of the high-speed rail system that it operates in the country’s northeast.

Hikari Hida contributed reporting.