Schools reopen in Japan after 7.5-magnitude quake amid alert for another temblor
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Collapsed bookshelves at a high school library is seen in Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture on Dec 9, 2025, following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake off northern Japan.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – Most of the schools in north-eastern and northern Japan reopened on Dec 10, following closures in the wake of a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the region, even as an alert for another major temblor remains in place.
Students in the area have been asked to be ready for an immediate evacuation for about a week following the quake late on Dec 8, which prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue the alert for the coastal regions of Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast.
More than 300 schools in total were closed on Dec 9 in five prefectures – Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima – according to the Education Ministry. Some schools damaged by the quake remained closed, local governments said.
A public elementary school in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture, opened its gates at 7.30am. No one among the 115 pupils and 20 teachers and staff was injured.
“Yesterday, I discussed with my family what we should do when the next earthquake strikes. I’m happy to see my friends,” said Aren Shirayama, a nine-year-old Primary 3 pupil.
Primary 6 pupil Asahi Yoshida, 12, said: “I was scared as furniture toppled over and dishes were scattered. I spent time yesterday talking to my family and playing games. Our usual daily life has returned.”
Teachers at an elementary school in Shinhidaka along the coast of southern Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost main island, reconfirmed the procedures for their evacuation drill in the morning.
“Children appeared to be the same as usual,” said vice-principal Naomi Kumagai.
Up to 342 evacuation shelters were established at one point through Dec 10 morning in those five prefectures, with around 9,200 admissions, according to a Kyodo News tally based on figures released by local authorities.
The number of people injured in the disaster rose to 52 in total in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures, with one in Hokkaido sustaining serious injuries, according to local governments.
The strong earthquake occurred at around 11.15pm local time (10.15pm Singapore time) on Dec 8 off the eastern coast of Aomori prefecture, prompting the weather agency to issue tsunami warnings for parts of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, as well as Aomori and Iwate prefectures.
Various ports confirmed the arrival of tsunami waves, with Kuji Port in Iwate prefecture recording a 70cm-high wave.
A special weather agency alert for a massive quake along the trench off the Pacific coast of north-eastern Japan is issued after an earthquake, when detailed analysis determines that it has a magnitude of 7.0 or greater.
The alert covers 182 municipalities in seven prefectures, stretching from Hokkaido to Chiba, east of Tokyo. It asks people to continue their social activities while remaining aware of the possibility of another quake.
Although precautionary evacuation is not requested under the alert system, several local governments opened shelters for voluntary evacuees.
Among the seven prefectures, no evacuation shelters were set up in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures near the national capital. KYODO NEWS