Powerful quake strikes Japan, smaller one hits Bay Area

Large earthquake strikes Japan, smaller one hits East Bay

A large earthquake with a magnitude of at least 7.0 struck Japan, and 3.0 struck the East Bay.

TOKYO - A powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami of up to 40 centimeters in coastal communities in the region, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.

The agency said the magnitude quake struck just east of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island, and just south of Hokkaido island. It said a tsunami of 40 centimeters struck the Hokkaido prefecture town of Urakawa and the Aomori prefecture port of Mutsu Ogawara.

Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. "We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can," she said.

Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, NHK reported.

More than 5,000 miles away in the Bay Area, a mild earthquake with  a magnitude of 2.9 struck near San Ramon. 

KTVU contributed to this report.