Tokyo (VNA) – Vietnamese nationals living in areas affected by a strong earthquake off Japan’s Sanriku coast on April 20 have been confirmed safe.
The earthquake struck at 16:53 local time (14:53 Hanoi time) with a magnitude of 7.5 and an epicentre located about 100 km offshore. The tremor caused strong shaking across the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi, prompting Japanese authorities to issue a tsunami warning for several coastal areas, with waves expected to reach up to 3 metres.
Tsunami waves were later recorded along parts of the coast. At Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, the first wave arrived at 17:26 local time, with the highest recorded wave reaching 80 cm.
In response to the disaster, Japanese authorities swiftly implemented emergency measures and ordered hundreds of thousands of residents in high-risk areas to evacuate. The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned that strong aftershocks could occur in the coming days, particularly within the first two to three days after the quake.
Regarding the Vietnamese community in Japan, monitoring and support measures have been swiftly implemented.
Phan Tien Hoang, First Secretary and head of the Labour Management Board at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, said the embassy had contacted several labour unions in the affected areas and been confirmed that all Vietnamese workers were safe.
Initial information from Vietnamese academics and students in the region also indicated that the situation remained stable. Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Chi Nghia, a lecturer at Tohoku University in Sendai city of Miyagi prefecture, said he had contacted Vietnamese students at Aomori Chuo Gakuin University and confirmed that they were all safe.
In Tokyo, where a large Vietnamese community resides, only mild tremors of about level 2–3 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale were recorded, causing no significant disruption to daily life.
However, Japanese authorities have urged residents not to be complacent, warning that tsunami waves may arrive in multiple surges and could reach greater heights in the coming hours. The continued warnings are based not only on initial wave heights but also on confirmed tsunami activity, indicating that seismic energy has propagated across the sea.
In this context, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan has advised Vietnamese citizens, particularly those living in northeastern coastal areas, to strictly follow instructions from local authorities, avoid returning to hazardous zones until safety is confirmed, and regularly update information through official channels.
The embassy said it is continuing to closely monitor the situation and remains ready to implement citizen protection measures if necessary./.
