Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes off Japan's Iwate coast, revised to 7.2; six injured, bullet trains halted

The earthquake

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported. The agency later revised the magnitude upward to 7.2, while the U.S. Geological Survey maintained a 6.9 estimate. The quake occurred at a depth of 44 to 50 kilometres, with its epicentre in the Pacific Ocean near the border of Aomori Prefecture. Shaking reached the second-highest level on Japan's seven-tier seismic intensity scale, upper 6, in the town of Hashikami, and lower 6 in neighbouring Hachinohe. Tremors were felt as far away as Tokyo.

Casualties and damage

Six people were confirmed injured across Aomori and Iwate prefectures. In Hachinohe, three people sustained injuries, while one person each was hurt in Hashikami, the city of Aomori, and Kamaishi, where a woman in her 90s fell and injured her right arm. About 70 schools in Aomori suspended classes. No major structural damage was reported, though goods were scattered in shops and a ceiling partially collapsed at a food-processing plant in Hashikami.

Our house suffered no damage, but our company asked us to stay home today because the automatic door at the office no longer opens and part of the ceiling collapsed.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara initially said no injuries had been reported, but later updates confirmed the casualties. The government set up an emergency response office at the prime minister's crisis management centre, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed staff to quickly assess damage and keep the public informed.

Transport disruption

East Japan Railway (JR East) suspended all Tohoku Shinkansen services between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations immediately after the quake. Operations resumed in stages: Tokyo–Sendai services restarted at 9:30 a.m., and the full line, including Sendai–Morioka and Morioka–Shin-Aomori, was back in service shortly after 1 p.m. No abnormalities were found at nuclear facilities in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions.

Seismic context and warnings

The quake occurred in an area where seismic activity has been elevated since November 2025. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off eastern Aomori on 8 December 2025, followed by a magnitude 7.7 event off the Sanriku coast on 20 April 2026. Both triggered week-long advisories for a possible subsequent large quake. For Thursday's tremor, the JMA did not issue such an advisory because the criteria were not met, but officials urged caution.

Caution is necessary for the next week or so against earthquakes measuring up to around upper 6 in areas that experienced strong shaking in today's quake.

Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and records thousands of earthquakes annually. Its infrastructure is designed to withstand strong shaking, and no tsunami risk was associated with this offshore event.