A strong magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit northeastern Japan late on December 8, 2025, shaking Aomori, Iwate, and parts of Hokkaido. The quake struck about 80 km offshore and caused very intense shaking in Aomori, where some areas recorded “upper 6” on Japan’s seismic scale.
Watch the video below to see real footage of the earthquake’s impact and how people reacted in the moments after the shaking began.
Right after the quake, Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings and told tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Officials feared waves up to 3 metres high. Around 90,000 people moved to higher ground as emergency crews began inspections.
Small tsunami waves did arrive — about 20 to 70 cm — but they were much lower than expected. Because of this, the warnings were later downgraded to advisories, though people were told to stay away from the coast until the all-clear is given.
So far, there have been injuries but no major damage or deaths reported. Trains stopped temporarily, and checks at nuclear facilities found no problems.
For now, the biggest waves seem to have passed, but aftershocks could still cause changes in the sea. Authorities are asking people to remain cautious until the situation fully settles.
