Japan Earthquake: BMKG Says Indonesia's Coastal Areas Unlikely to be Affected by Tsunami

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that the earthquake of preliminary magnitude 7.6 that struck central Japan on Monday is not likely to affect Indonesia's coastal areas.

Head of the agency's Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Daryono, said that the powerful earthquake, which occurred around 2:10 p.m. local time and whose epicenter was located in Ishikawa Prefecture at a depth of 45 kilometers, prompted Japan to issue tsunami warnings.

However, based on a tsunami modeling analysis, the quake is not likely to trigger a tsunami in the coastal areas of Indonesia and other countries in the Indian Ocean region, he informed on Monday, January 1, 2024.

The Japanese authorities have issued a tsunami warning for the country's western coastal regions, he said, adding that the height of tsunami waves has been forecast to reach between 20 centimeters and 5 meters.

The height of potential tsunami waves in the Nato area of Ishikawa Prefecture could likely reach 5 meters, while potential tsunami waves in the coastal areas of regions such as Yamaga and Niigata prefectures could be as high as 3 meters, he said.

Despite the absence of a tsunami warning for Indonesia's coastal areas following the quake in Japan, the public must stay alert and disregard groundless information, Daryono said.

Taking note of the impact of the catastrophe, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and the Indonesian Consulate General in Osaka have urged Indonesians residing in the quake-affected regions in Japan to stay alert.

According to the embassy, people must remain cautious because the Japanese authorities have yet to withdraw the aftershock and tsunami warnings following the powerful quake.

Based on the embassy's self-report system for Indonesian citizens, at least 3,791 Indonesians currently reside in the prefectures of Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata that have been affected by the earthquake.

For safety reasons, Indonesians residing in the affected prefectures must keep monitoring information and directives from the local authorities, the embassy said in its written statement.

The tremors from Monday's quake could be felt as far as Fukui, Nagano, Gifu, Tokyo, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Tottori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Akita prefectures.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for several regions, the embassy said, adding that officers at the embassy and consulate general are coordinating with the Japanese authorities.

They have also contacted Indonesian community members in the affected prefectures, urged them to move to safer places, and launched hotlines +818035068612 (Indonesian Embassy) and +818031131003 (Indonesian Consulate General in Osaka) to help those in need.

ANTARA

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