A powerful earthquake, originated off the northern coast of Japan, has triggered several tsunami alerts and warnings in the region. If you are planning to travel to Japan, we recommend regularly checking the related safety alerts. Here is everything we know so far.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported an earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers that occurred at 16:35 local time off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture. The agency has continued adding details, such as that the earthquake reached a magnitude of 7.5 and, in the most affected areas, an intensity of 5 on the 0–7 scale used in Japan to measure the severity of seismic events.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, appeared on the national broadcaster NHK to issue the following warning: “Residents in areas where tsunami alerts have been issued must evacuate immediately to higher ground or to safe areas such as evacuation buildings.” Authorities are doing what they can to “assess damages, implement disaster emergency response measures, such as search-and-rescue operations, and provide the public with complete and up-to-date information,” and at this time the extent of personal and material damage remains unknown.
Tsunami alerts have been issued in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Hokkaido, and Aomori prefectures, where waves are estimated to have reached up to three meters in height. The Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed train has halted operations between Tokyo and Aomori, as well as all JR local lines in Iwate Prefecture.
There have been no reports of abnormal operation at coastal nuclear plants, but damages are still being assessed.
You can check the map from the Japan Meteorological Agency to view the areas affected by the earthquake and those with the highest tsunami risk. Right now there are no major alerts, and only sea-level changes have been observed, but we recommend checking periodically before any trip. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises Spanish travelers to exercise extreme caution and pay attention to official information sources, but has not issued any travel advisories or bans against visiting the country. Major airlines have not halted operations nor warned of cancellations or delays.
This article was published in July 2025 in Condé Nast Traveller UK.
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