A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake (initially reported as 7.6) struck 80 km off Aomori Prefecture's coast at 54 km depth on December 8, 2025, injuring around 30 people mostly from falling objects in Hachinohe hotels and offices and forcing 90,000 evacuations amid tsunami warnings up to 3 meters.
Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded alerts to advisories before lifting all by Tuesday, with waves reaching 40-70 cm at ports like Kuji and Urakawa; a 5.1 aftershock followed 122 km south of Honcho at 35 km depth. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi activated an emergency task force for damage assessments, urging vigilance against further tremors in the seismically active Ring of Fire region.
No fatalities reported despite intense shaking (Upper 6 in Hachinohe), power outages, and scattered debris; Fukushima monitored with no anomalies, echoing 2011's Tohoku disaster precautions. NHK footage showed swaying buildings and panicked evacuations in Hokkaido and Iwate, with one motorist falling into a quake-induced hole. Authorities prioritize rescues and infrastructure checks amid Japan's frequent quakes (1,500 yearly).