Japanese authorities have officially lifted a major earthquake advisory for the country's northeastern coastline, exactly one week after a powerful tremor struck the region. The decision was announced on Tuesday, 16 December 2025.
Advisory Lifted After Tense Week
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Cabinet Office held a joint news conference to confirm the end of the megaquake advisory. This advisory had been in place since Monday, 9 December, following a significant magnitude 7.5 earthquake off the eastern coast of Aomori prefecture.
This area is on the northernmost part of Japan's main island of Honshu, just south of Hokkaido. The quake resulted in over 40 mostly minor injuries and damaged dozens of homes, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
What the Lifting Means for Residents
The advisory had urged residents in the designated zone to take extraordinary precautions. These included sleeping in day clothes and keeping helmets, shoes, and emergency grab bags by their bedsides. This was in case a subsequent quake of magnitude 8 or larger struck the area.
With the lifting of the warning, these specific nightly routines are no longer officially requested. However, officials were keen to stress that the underlying seismic risk has not vanished.
Officials Urge Preparedness to Continue
While confirming the probability of a megaquake has decreased somewhat, agency representatives emphasised that the move does not mean the risk has disappeared. They strongly urged residents to maintain adequate levels of vigilance and preparedness.
The response to last week's event was notably calm. Municipalities and citizens heeded the warnings without panic, and although tsunami alerts were issued with waves recorded up to 70cm (27 inches), no significant tsunami damage was reported.
Learning from Past Disasters
The mechanism for issuing these specific advisories for the Hokkaido-Sanriku area was introduced in 2022. Its creation was a direct lesson learned from the catastrophic magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 that devastated Japan's northeast.
This system aims to provide clearer guidance than previous warnings. A contrast was drawn with the summer of 2024, when Japan's first-ever "Nankai Trough" megaquake advisory for southern areas caused ambiguity, leading to panic buying, event cancellations, and business closures.
The latest episode demonstrates the country's ongoing efforts to refine its disaster response, balancing urgent public safety measures with the need to avoid unnecessary social and economic disruption.
