TOKYO: A small tsunami hit Japan yesterday after a powerful and shallow undersea quake, although there were no immediate signs of serious damage and no reports of injuries or deaths.
People were warned to stay away from the coast as the tsunami, which was recorded as being as high as 55 centimetres (22 inches) in one place, rolled ashore.
There were no new problems at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, NHK said, citing operator Tokyo Electric Power.
“There have been no rises at (radiation) monitoring posts at Fukushima Daiichi,” the broadcaster reported.
Workers who had been patrolling wells used to measure underground water evacuated to higher ground after the tremors struck.
There were no reported problems at any other nuclear plant, including at Onagawa, the site of the largest wave - 55 centimetres - recorded yesterday.
All of Japan’s 50 viable reactors are shut down. The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) at 2:10am local time (1710GMT Friday), 327 kilometres southeast of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, according to the US Geological Survey.
The USGS initially said its magnitude was 7.5, and issued a green alert on its website, signalling a low probability of deaths or economic losses.
As it stood down its warnings, Japan’s meteorological agency said the quake was an aftershock of the March 2011 tremor.
AFP
