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By Gabe Whisnant and John Feng
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A magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck about 67 miles northeast of Kuji, Japan, on Wednesday, rattling coastal communities just days after authorities issued a tsunami warning for the region after a 7.6 magnitude quake.
According to seismic officials, the offshore quake did not trigger a new tsunami alert, and there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries as monitoring agencies assessed the impact.
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Earthquakes near Kuji, Japan: What to Know
Kuji is a coastal city in far northeastern Iwate Prefecture with a population of about 34,000, set along the rugged Sanriku shoreline known for its history of powerful earthquakes and tsunamis. The city covers roughly 241 square miles and sits about 380 miles north of Tokyo, well outside Japan’s major metropolitan corridor.
Surrounded by the Kitakami Mountains to the west and opening onto the Pacific Ocean to the east, Kuji sits along the Sanriku coast, where the Pacific Plate dives beneath the North American Plate, creating a major subduction zone that produces frequent and sometimes powerful earthquakes. The steep offshore trench and complex plate interactions in the region also heighten the risk of tsunamis generated by undersea seismic activity.
On Monday, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake triggered 10 ft high tsunami warnings for across the northeastern coast of Japan. That tsunami warning was later cancelled.
At least 20 people were injured and tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the tsunami warning zones. There were no casualties reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) for the first time issued a warning of a higher than usual possibility of a mega quake in northern Japan in the aftermath of the powerful 7.6 magnitude quake.
“If a M7.0 or greater earthquake occurs in or around the probable source region of megaquakes along the Japan and Chishima Trenches, the possibility of a large earthquake is considered to be relatively high,” the JMA said.
“JMA issues Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory in such cases, even though probability based on actual worldwide records is only about 1/100.”
The advisory is issued for 182 municipalities in seven prefectures: 63 in Hokkaido, 28 in Aomori, 23 in Iwate, 35 in Miyagi, 10 in Fukushima, nine in Ibaraki and 14 in Chiba.
These areas are at risk of experiencing a quake measuring a lower 6 or stronger on the Japanese scale of intensity, and a tsunami of 3 meters or higher.
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Updates: 12/10/25, 3:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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