Several people injured after 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Japan

Several people have sustained injuries at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe after a powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Monday.

The powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami of up to 40 centimeters in coastal communities in the region, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.

The agency said the magnitude quake struck just east of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island, and just south of Hokkaido island. It said a tsunami of 40 centimeters struck the Hokkaido prefecture town of Urakawa and the Aomori prefecture port of Mutsu Ogawara.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage.

“We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, NHK reported.