▲ South Pacific Tonga (red mark)


A tsunami warning has been issued for the first time in more than five years in Japan due to the effects of an undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean.



Tsunami has been observed all over the southeastern coast of Japan facing the Pacific Ocean, and authorities are closely vigilant for fear of loss of life.



The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning at 0:15 this morning that a tsunami up to 3 meters high could be observed on some islands in southwestern Japan.



According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a tsunami of up to 3 meters in length is expected to hit the Amami Islands and Tokara Islands between Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan.



The Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami advisory for the remaining coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean from Hokkaido to Okinawa.



Since then, the tsunami advisory issued for Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Honshu at 2:54 a.m. today has been upgraded to a tsunami warning.



According to a local NHK report, a 1.2m high tsunami was confirmed last night at 11:55pm in Kominato, Amami City.



Amami City urged all residents to evacuate to high places.



A 1.1m tsunami was observed at 2:26 a.m. today at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture, and the water level is rising.



A tsunami of less than 1m was confirmed in various places, including a 90cm tsunami in Kushimoto-cho, southern Wakayama Prefecture, which belongs to Honshu.



A report was received that a ship was being washed away by a tsunami in Muroto City, Kochi Prefecture, on Shikoku Island.



In preparation for a tsunami, the Japanese Prime Minister's Office has set up an official liaison office at the Crisis Management Center.



According to Kyodo News, it is the first time a tsunami warning has been issued in Japan in more than five years since a 7.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in November 2016 was issued to Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures.



NHK and major private broadcasters switched to a special warning system to convey the situation of the tsunami, while urging residents of coastal areas to flee to a safe place.



In the sea near Tonga, an island nation in the South Pacific, an undersea volcano erupted yesterday around 1:10 PM Korean time.



In Japan, a tsunami with a height of 1 to 4 meters reached Japan about a day after the earthquake in Chile in 1960, killing about 140 people.



(Photo = U.S. Tsunami Warning System homepage capture, Yonhap News)