Japan Lifts Subsequent Earthquake Advisory in Northern Japan, Issued in Wake of Large Dec. 8 Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:11 JST, December 16, 2025

The government lifted a subsequent earthquake advisory for off the coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku at midnight Monday, ending calls for residents in the relevant areas to take special measures in preparation for a major quake of magnitude 8 or more.

At a press conference after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, disaster management minister Jiro Akama said: “A large-scale earthquake can suddenly occur. I want people to continue preparations [for a future disaster] during ordinary times, while utilizing the lessons from the responses to this latest incident.”

The subsequent earthquake advisory for Hokkaido and the Sanriku Pacific coast areas of northeastern Japan was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency before dawn on Dec. 9, after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred to the east off Aomori Prefecture late on the evening of Dec. 8.

The advisory was issued for 182 municipalities in seven prefectures, from Hokkaido in the north to Chiba Prefecture in the south.

The Cabinet Office had called on residents in those municipalities to be prepared for a week after the advisory was issued for a subsequent quake of magnitude 8 or stronger. It asked the affected residents to take such special steps as confirming their stocks of emergency goods and being ready for immediate evacuation.

“I want to express my gratitude to members of the public for having reacted rationally without causing large-scale confusion,” Akama said.

There have been reports, however, that the advisory did not sufficiently spur people in the affected areas to take disaster-prevention steps. Akama said, “We will examine how far it can contribute to preparedness for disaster prevention.”

According to the agency, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred on Dec. 12 in the sea to the east off Aomori Prefecture that caused tremors measuring up to 4 on the Japanese intensity scale of seven.

Including the quake on Dec. 8, a total of 42 earthquakes measuring at least 1 on the intensity scale occurred by 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The agency said that earthquake activities have gradually waned.

Kiyoshi Takeda, head of the agency’s Office of Large-scale Earthquake Analysis, held a press conference on Tuesday.

“There have been cases in which a subsequent quake at magnitude 8 or stronger occurred after a week had passed,” Takeda said. “It’s important to make preparations based on the assumption that such a large subsequent quake may suddenly occur.”