Just as 2024 begins, Japan is rocked by a powerful earthquake, triggering a major tsunami warning and evacuation orders for areas in the western parts of the Pacific island country. 

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) and 42 kilometers (26 miles) northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture around 1610 local time. 

The 7.5 magnitude was weaker than the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, causing a tsunami and a nuclear power plant meltdown and killing thousands. Initial reports say tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) were recorded in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture.

An official from Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency told The New York Times that radioactive monitoring stations at the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa show no irregularities. Several power plants in the region have been shuttered as authorities check on nuclear reactors. 

Footage uploaded to the social media platform X showed buildings violently shaking during the quake. 

Footage also showed the aftermath of the quake. 

Today was the first major tsunami warning to be issued since 2011.