S/ NNN Reporter / I am reporting from Aomori’s Hachinohe City where the maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 was observed. I am now at Chojasan Shinra shrine, located near the city center. You can see that large stone lanterns have toppled over. There are several lanterns on both sides, and many have fallen, showing the force of the impact. Looking back at the torii gate, the signboard with the shrine’s history is leaning, and the roof of the offering box area has collapsed. We spoke with shrine staff, who said they were disheartened as they had just begun preparing for the New Year. Further ahead, the glass doors of the main hall are shattered. They had been cleaning up the broken glass until just now. And behind the main hall in the inner sanctuary, a historic structure that has remained unchanged since its renovation in 1827, a hole has appeared.

S/ NNN Reporter / I am reporting from the road collapse site in the Aomori town of Tohoku after ensuring safety. A short while ago, the police set up a cordon, and the road is now closed to traffic. We have been told it is safe to go up until the guardrail, so I am reporting from here. As you can see, this is a national highway, and you can see that the road has collapsed from the edge to a little beyond the center line. A white compact car has completely fallen into the hole. According to the fire department, one person has been rescued from the scene. In last night’s 11:15 earthquake, the town of Tohoku registered upper 5 in seismic intensity. It was snowing until a while ago, and a thin layer of snow has accumulated on the road. Underneath the snow, there is black ice, making the road surface very slippery. On my way here, the brakes on the car did not work well due to the slippery conditions. Over here about 10 or 15 meters from the road collapse, there are cracks on the road surface. There are reports that similar conditions have occurred elsewhere in the prefecture, so if a strong quake occurs again, there is a risk that roads could break apart, so please avoid going near such places. That concludes our live report from the road collapse site.

A man in his 50s who was rescued from the fallen car sustained injuries.

Government officials said the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck northern Japan on the night of December 8 has left about 30 people injured.

The temblor registered upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of up to 7 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures, downgrading it to a tsunami advisory at 2:45 a.m. on December 9 and later lifted it.

Tsunami waves of 40 centimeters have been observed in coastal areas including Hachinohe Port.

There have been reports of power outage and no running water at some residences, while some public transportation systems were temporarily suspended.

The agency is warning people to brace for the possible occurrence of a major earthquake over the next week.