On the first day of 2024, Japan experienced a major earthquake and volcanic eruptions, one of which had a magnitude of 7.4 and a 5-meter-high tsunami.
At around 16:06 local time on January 1, 2024, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in the Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, followed by another 7.4 magnitude earthquake in the Noto area at around 16:10, and another 6.1 magnitude earthquake in the Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan at around 16:18.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a large tsunami warning for the Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture, and the maximum tsunami height is expected to reach 5 meters.
At 17 p.m. local time, many parts of Japan have already seen a tsunami several meters high, with Ishikawa Prefecture near the epicenter seeing a tsunami five meters high.
Due to the high magnitude of the earthquake and the height of the tsunami approaching 5 meters, the local authorities are immediately broadcasting the news of the earthquake and tsunami, and calling on the local people to evacuate from the dangerous area.
Speaking of the earthquake in Japan, I believe many netizens will think of the earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, when this earthquake was considered the fifth largest earthquake in history. The earthquake also caused a huge tsunami that caused devastating damage to many parts of Japan, and it was at that time that the famous Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant had problems, resulting in serious nuclear leakage problems.
Although more than 10 years have passed since the earthquake, the problem of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant has not been solved, and the Fukushima nuclear power plant has stored more than 1 million tons of nuclear wastewater.
Some experts say that if Japan wants to discharge all the nuclear wastewater, the plan to discharge the nuclear sewage into the sea will last at least 30 years. Because the nuclear sewage carries a large amount of radioactive elements, many countries and regions expressed opposition to the plan to discharge nuclear sewage into the sea at that time.
Not long after the planned discharge of nuclear sewage into the sea, there has been another major earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and many of you may be worried about whether this earthquake will cause another accident like the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011.
Since the launch of the earthquake, the condition of the nuclear power plant has now been confirmed in several regions of Japan affected by successive strong earthquakes, including the Shiga Nuclear Power Plant in Ishikawa Prefecture and the Kashiwazaki Karirwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture.
From a human point of view, it is still hoped that this major earthquake will not cause a leakage problem at a nuclear power plant similar to that in 2011, because a serious accident at a nuclear power plant may have an impact on many countries and regions. This is the case at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which is located in Japan, but Japan is now discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea, affecting countries and regions in the relevant maritime areas.
A volcano in Japan also erupted
Just before the earthquake in Japan, a volcano in Japan also erupted. At 3 p.m. local time on January 1, 2024, Mount Ontake, located on Suwanose Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, erupted, sending out a column of ash smoke about 1,600 meters high from the crater.
Located in the Pacific Rim Volcanic Belt, the Mount Japan volcano is 3,063 meters above sea level and is covered in a thick layer of snow in winter. In the past, this volcano has often erupted, so it is not uncommon for the volcano to erupt again this time. For example, on September 27, 2014, the Mount Ontake volcano erupted suddenly.
Disasters in 2024?
On the first day of the new year, Japan has frequent major earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, does it mean that 2024 is really a disaster for the earth?
From the perspective of frequency and intensity, the earthquake that occurred in Japan did attract everyone's attention, because the magnitude of the earthquake was indeed relatively high, and the time interval between the occurrences was very short. But that doesn't mean 2024 will be full of disasters.
Because Japan itself is a country with frequent earthquakes, earthquakes occur frequently, and in recent months, Japan has experienced many earthquakes. For example, at around 6 a.m. on September 22, 2023, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the waters off the Izu Islands in Japan, and at around 3:30 p.m. on December 26, 2023, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in the waters near the Izu Islands in Japan.
Therefore, the frequent earthquakes in Japan at the beginning of the new year are not a problem with the earth, so there is no need to worry.