A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s northeast coast late Monday (December 8), leading the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to put out tsunami alerts for Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate. The agency said that waves could rise as high as three metres, which is roughly 10 feet.

The quake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time and was felt across wide areas of northern and eastern Japan. JMA said the epicentre was about 80 km off the Aomori coast and around 50 km deep.

This is not the first major quake reported in the region this year. Back in July 2025, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck a remote island area in southwestern Japan. That quake began near the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, but no tsunami alert was needed.

The same month, Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula faced a much stronger 8.8-magnitude earthquake. The massive quake created tsunami waves that reached nearby countries and became the strongest earthquake recorded anywhere in the world in more than 10 years.

Japan has also seen one of the worst quakes in modern history, the 9.1-magnitude megathrust earthquake of 2011, which caused a deadly tsunami and widespread damage.

What to do during an earthquake

Experts remind people to follow simple safety steps to stay protected during strong shaking:

  • Repair deep cracks in walls or ceilings and get expert help if there are signs of big structural problems.

  • Fix overhead lights tightly to the ceiling.

  • Follow BIS building rules for safe construction.

  • Fasten shelves firmly to walls.

  • Keep heavy items on lower shelves.

How to protect yourself during shaking

  • Do not run outside. Move away from buildings, trees, poles and wires.

  • DROP to the ground, COVER under a strong table or desk, and HOLD ON until the shaking ends.

  • If there is no table nearby, cover your head and face with your arms and crouch in a safe corner.

  • Stay under a door frame, in a room corner, under a table or even under a bed.

  • Keep away from windows, glass, outside doors, and anything that might fall.