Japan shaken again, warning of possible 'megathrust earthquake'

(Patria) - An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale has struck northeastern Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced.

It was registered at 11:44 AM local time at a depth of 20 kilometers, followed by several smaller tremors. The epicenter was off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture.

The agency issued a tsunami warning for parts of Japan's east coast, warning that waves could reach a height of up to one meter.

Today's earthquake comes after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the same region earlier this week, injuring dozens of residents.

Authorities have warned that a stronger earthquake could occur, urging people to remain on high alert for at least a week. They have also told people to check evacuation routes and prepare emergency kits.

This also comes at a time when Japan is expecting a megathrust earthquake along its Pacific coast. Experts have warned of a 60-90% chance that such an earthquake could occur in the next 30 years.

These so-called "megathrust earthquakes" typically occur approximately every hundred years, often in pairs; the last ones occurred in 1944 and 1946.

Earthquakes are a part of life in Japan, which experiences about 1,500 tremors annually.