KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed concern for the victims of the series of earthquakes that jolted parts of Japan on New Year’s Day.
On social media, the Pakatan Harapan chairman said that he, along with his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, had extended sympathy for those affected by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit the Ishikawa region in central Japan today.
“The Malaysian government through the Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian embassy in Japan is closely monitoring any latest developments regarding the disaster,” Anwar said in a post.
“May those affected be given perseverance and patience in these difficult and challenging times, including our people there.”
This comes after the Malaysian embassy in Tokyo issued a statement saying there have been no reports of Malaysians being harmed by the series of strong earthquakes.
Earlier reports said a total of 29 earthquakes with a maximum magnitude of 7.6 occurred in the Japanese prefectures of Ishikawa and Niigata in two hours today, according to data analysed by Sputnik.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported multiple cases of damage and injuries due to the strong earthquakes amid the country’s New Year celebrations, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in several prefectures.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), among the quakes, the major temblor occurred at 4.10pm local time (3.10pm in Malaysia) at a shallow depth, registering a maximum of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. The JMA has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
There were six cases of people being buried alive after houses collapsed, reported in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, where a large-scale fire also broke out following the quake, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told an emergency press conference.
Hayashi noted that a fire broke out in a transformer at the Hokuriku Electric Power Company’s Shika nuclear power station in Ishikawa Prefecture, adding that the fire had been extinguished and there was no impact on the nuclear power plant, following his earlier statement that no damage had been detected at nuclear power plants after the massive earthquake.
According to local authorities, two women were taken to hospital after falling or being hit by falling objects in Awara, Fukui Prefecture. A woman in her 80s in Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, fell while evacuating and suffered a head injury.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the relevant ministries and agencies to assess the earthquake damage as soon as possible, ensure the safety of the public, rescue any victims and provide appropriate information to the public.
Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase has asked the Self-Defence Forces to send members on a disaster relief mission, Hayashi said.
Latest local media reports showed that multiple cases of mudslides as well as road collapses have been reported in several cities including Niigata.
Multiple roads and houses in Ishikawa Prefecture were damaged following the strong quakes, and many houses collapsed in the Noto region and Hakui city in the prefecture, with approximately 32,500 homes losing power.
In Ishikawa’s Kanazawa city, video footage taken by passengers showed rocking temblors experienced on a local train platform and train coaches.
The torii gate of a shrine in Kanazawa collapsed due to the earthquakes, with no injuries reported in the surrounding area, according to the national news agency Kyodo.
Today, All Nippon Airways announced that a total of 16 flights departing from and arriving at the Shonai, Niigata, Noto and Komatsu airports on the day would be cancelled due to the earthquakes, affecting about 1,450 people.
Japan Airlines also cancelled a total of nine flights departing from and arriving at the Niigata and Komatsu airports. Approximately 730 people were affected.
The East Japan Railway Company suspended all Shinkansen services on the Joetsu and Hokuriku lines throughout Ishikawa Prefecture. There is currently no prospect for resumption of operations, according to sources.
Earlier in the day, the JMA issued tsunami warnings for a broad swath of the western coast, including Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata, and other prefectures, following the strong earthquakes, including a major tsunami warning issued for Ishikawa Prefecture.
It was the first time a major tsunami warning was issued since the 2011 earthquake in north-eastern Japan. A major tsunami warning is issued when a tsunami of 3m or more is expected.
Ishikawa, where the epicentre of the major quake was located, observed tsunami waves of more than 1.2m at 4.21pm local time. Toyama Prefecture reported tsunami waves of 50cm at 4.23pm local time, local media reports said.
Torrents of water could reach as high as 5m and authorities had urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
Central Japan may experience earthquakes with maximum intensity on its seven-tier scale system in the coming week, the JMA said during a briefing this afternoon, urging people in the area to stay vigilant for possible strong tremors. – January 1, 2024