Japan’s prime minister forms emergency task force after 7.5 magnitude quake

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Mari Yamaguchi at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan late Monday night, injuring at least 34 people and triggering tsunami waves along the Pacific coast, prompting authorities to assess the damage and warn of potential aftershocks.

Some key facts:

• The earthquake struck around 11:15 p.m. approximately 80 kilometers off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island.

• At least 34 people were injured, with one person seriously hurt, mostly from falling objects.

• Tsunami waves up to 70 centimeters were measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, with smaller waves striking other coastal communities.

• Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi formed an emergency task force and pledged the government would prioritize people’s lives in responding to the disaster.

• About 800 homes lost electricity and bullet trains were temporarily halted, though power was mostly restored by Tuesday morning and train service resumed.

• About 450 liters of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant, but officials reported no safety concerns at any nuclear facilities.

• The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of possible aftershocks and a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level earthquake along Japan’s northeastern coast.

• The earthquake occurred just north of where the 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

READ MORE: Japan assesses damage from 7.5 magnitude quake that injured 34