New Year Earthquake Causes Damage in Noto Peninsula and Surrounding Area

At 4:10 in the afternoon of January 1, 2024, an earthquake centered on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture caused shaking up to level 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. The temblor had a shallow hypocenter and an estimated magnitude of 7.6. Smaller earthquakes with intensity of from 3 to 5 followed intermittently.

Tsunami waves were recorded at Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture (1.2 meters); Toyama, Toyama Prefecture (80 centimeters); and Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture (40 centimeters). The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for the Noto Peninsula and other warnings and advisories for prefectures along Japan’s Sea of Japan coast.

The earthquake was centered in Shika in Ishikawa Prefecture; Shika Nuclear Power Plant run by Hokuriku Electric Power Company is currently offline, and the company reported that there were no problems. Kashiwazaki Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture and several other plants in Fukui Prefecture also reported no problems.

The Noto Peninsula has seen considerable seismic activity since 2020.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Earthquake damage in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. © Kyōdō.)