Magnitude 7.6 quake triggers a tsunami on Japan’s northern coast

TOKYO AP A powerful -magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Monday triggering a tsunami of up to centimeters in coastal communities in the region the Japanese Meteorological Agency declared The agency reported the magnitude quake struck just east of Aomori the northernmost prefecture of Japan s main Honshu island and just south of Hokkaido island It declared a tsunami of centimeters struck the Hokkaido prefecture town of Urakawa and the Aomori prefecture port of Mutsu Ogawara Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe general broadcaster NHK released Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in brief comment to reporters revealed the administration set up an crisis task force to urgently assess the extent of damage We are putting people s lives first and doing everything we can she commented Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks NHK released