A tsunami alert was issued after a powerful earthquake struck off northern Japan on Monday, according to the country’s meteorological agency.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit off the coast of Hokkaido near the city of Aomori, with the epicenter located about 30 miles beneath the ocean floor. Earlier in the day, the quake had been estimated at magnitude 7.2.

Officials warned that tsunami waves could reach up to 10 feet in parts of the region.

By Monday afternoon, the agency downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory as the threat diminished.

There is no apparent danger to the west coast of North America. The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that no alerts were issued for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, or California.

Throughout Monday evening, Japanese authorities worked to protect coastal communities.

Regional nuclear power plants began conducting precautionary safety inspections, according to public broadcaster NHK, which also reported that a government emergency response center was established at Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s office.

NHK noted that an offshore tsunami was detected roughly 6 miles off Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan. A wave about one foot high was also recorded further north near Erimo Town, and waves up to one and a half feet were observed near Urakawa.

Japan continues to remember the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011—a magnitude 9.0 quake, the strongest ever recorded in the country.

During that disaster, a massive tsunami overwhelmed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, disabling power systems and flooding the facility. Three reactors melted down, releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported early Tuesday that Japanese officials found “no abnormalities” at Fukushima following the latest quake.

Despite extensive efforts by the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company to contain the long-term effects of the 2011 disaster, thousands of residents remain displaced, and the condition of the highly radioactive reactor interiors remains uncertain.

In August 2023 Japan began releasing more than 1 million tons of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima plant, despite criticism both domestically