Japan on alert as tsunami waves reach coast following Tonga eruption

A tsunami caused by a massive underwater volcanic eruption near Tonga reached Japan’s coast late Saturday and early Sunday, with the weather agency warning that waves of up to 3 meters could hit some areas.

A tsunami warning was issued first for the Amami and Tokara islands and later extended to the coast of Iwate Prefecture. Waves of up to 3 meters were possible in those areas, the agency said.

In the Kominato district on the Kagoshima island of Amami Oshima, a 1.2-meter tsunami was observed at 11:55 p.m. Saturday. A less severe tsunami advisory was in place for the remainder of the nation’s Pacific coast and some areas facing the Sea of Japan. The arrival of tsunami waves less than 1 meter was confirmed in areas along the coast from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

Those in affected areas were urged to evacuate from seaside areas.

The weather agency on Saturday evening had said there was a chance of minor sea level changes in Japan but had ruled out a damaging tsunami and did not initially issue a warning or advisory. The agency then shifted gears shortly after 12 a.m. Sunday when the warning was issued, though waves had apparently already arrived in some areas.

Tsunami waves may have been magnified due to changes in atmospheric pressure in wide areas caused by the eruption, according to the agency.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Japan due to the tsunami.

Following the tsunami warning and advisories, the government set up a liaison office at the Prime Minister’s Office to gather information.

On Saturday, frightened Tongans fled to higher ground Saturday after a massive eruption had triggered tsunami warnings across the South Pacific and the entire U.S. West Coast.

The Saturday eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano came just a few hours after a separate Friday tsunami warning was lifted due to the eruption. Dramatic images from space showed the moment the eruption sent a mushroom of smoke and ash into the air and a shock wave across the surrounding sea.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said a tsunami wave measuring 1.2 meters had been observed at Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa.

Mere Taufa said she was in her house getting ready for dinner when the volcano erupted.

“It was massive, the ground shook, our house was shaking. It came in waves. My younger brother thought bombs were exploding nearby,” Taufa told the Stuff news website.

She said water filled their home minutes later and she saw the wall of a neighboring house collapse.

“We just knew straight away it was a tsunami. Just water gushing into our home.

“You could just hear screams everywhere, people screaming for safety, for everyone to get to higher ground.”

Tonga’s King Tupou VI was reported to have been evacuated from the Royal Palace in Nuku’alofa and taken by a police convoy to a villa well away from the coastline.

The initial eruption lasted at least eight minutes and sent plumes of gas, ash and smoke several kilometers into the air.

Residents in coastal areas were urged to head for higher ground.

The eruption was so intense it was heard as “loud thunder sounds” in Fiji more than 800 kilometers away, officials in Suva said.

Tonga’s Hunga Tonga volcano just had one of the most violent volcano eruptions ever captured on satellite. pic.twitter.com/M2D2j52gNn

— US StormWatch (@US_Stormwatch) January 15, 2022

Fijian officials warned residents to cover water collection tanks in case of acidic rain fall.

Victorina Kioa of the Tonga Public Service Commission said Friday that people should “keep away from areas of warning which are low-lying coastal areas, reefs and beaches.”

The head of Tonga Geological Services, Taaniela Kula, urged people to stay indoors, wear a mask if they were outside and cover rainwater reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a “tsunami advisory” for American Samoa, saying there was a threat of “sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along beaches.”

Similar warnings were issued by authorities in New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Chile and Australia — where authorities said a swathe of coastline, including Sydney, could be hit by tsunami waves.

People in surrounding New South Wales state were “advised to get out of the water and move away from the immediate water’s edge.”

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption is visible at lower right in this full-disk sequence of images from the Japanese Himawari-8 geostationary satellite.#HungaTongaHungaHaapai #Tonga

Source: https://t.co/oPSiOI3t2P pic.twitter.com/4p4dFu6tnp

— Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) January 15, 2022

Tsunami warnings were also issued for the entire U.S. West Coast, and waves triggered low-level flooding in Hawaii.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued tsunami advisories from California to Alaska, predicting waves of up to two feet, strong rip currents and coastal flooding.

“Move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas in these areas,” it advised.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said “a tsunami is currently being observed” in Hawaii, but said there was “no reported damage and only minor flooding throughout the islands.”

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano sits on an uninhabited island about 65 kilometers north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.