authorities confirm the death of at least four people, the threat of tsunami “dismissed”

Japanese authorities have confirmed the death of at least four people after the powerful earthquake that shook Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday (January 2). The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) recorded more than 50 earthquakes of magnitude 3.2 or greater in the space of four hours on the Noto Peninsula, north of Ishikawa Prefecture, which borders the Sea of ​​Japan. .

The largest of these occurred at 4:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. GMT) at the northeastern tip of the peninsula. Initially announced at 7.4, its magnitude was quickly revised upwards: 7.5 according to the American Institute of Geophysics USGS, 7.6 according to the JMA. This shock was felt as far away as Tokyo, located more than 300 km as the crow flies from Noto.

The United States ready to help

A tsunami alert was immediately issued by the JMA, initially warning that waves up to five meters high were to be feared. The agency later lowered this theoretical maximum level to three meters. Is the threat of a tsunami “widely ruled out”, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said.

“My administration is in contact with Japanese officials and the United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the Japanese people.”for his part affirmed the American president in a press release, recalling that Japan and the United States were “close allies”.