A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, injuring more than 20 people and triggering a tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) in Pacific coast communities, officials said. The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake, which struck at about 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously. Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel and another man was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole. The meteorological agency reported the quake’s magnitude as 7.5, down from its earlier estimate of 7.6. It issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas and later downgraded to an advisory.
