issued. it struck at about 4:00 p.m. local time. a series of strong aftershocks have already been recorded. and tsunami waves of 1.2 meters have hit a number of areas along the western coast. japan s prime minister is urging residents in tsunami areas to evacuate as soon as possible. the u.s. geological survey and japan meteorological office as well have been making similar warnings. hanako montgomery is joining us live from tokyo. tell us what information you ve got right now, that knyou have w hanako. reporter: this was a large and powerful, 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit around 4:10 p.m. local time, a time when many people are celebrating new year s day with their familiesnd loved ones. and it was a shallow earthquake with depths of around 10 kilometers or about 6 miles. this is significant to note because with shallow earthquakes, we know that they could potentially be more powerful and more destructive and essentially trigger tsunamis that could really devastate cer
this is cnn breaking news. welcome to cnn news central, i m rahel solomon alongside john b berman and we are following breaking news for you coming out of japan for you. the japan west coast reeling after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami warnings. this is the moment that the quake struck a few hours ago. you can see the building crumbling to the ground on the west side there, and you can see the inside of an office building. that is first time that i am seeing the video, and you can see how long it goes on, and how violent that shaking is. the houses have collapsed, and we have seen the pictures of the roofs there just falling down. the earthquake also caused fires in some areas, and at this moment, the tsunami warnings are in effect. they have been downgraded, but you can see the initial impact of one of the tsunamis there, and one of the small waves, but it can be a threat particularly if you are getting repeated waves. the warnings are of waves up
The rld s most powerful smartphone. introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. we re ten minutes past the hour right now. japan has take an major step forward in the recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit last month. one of their main bullet train lines is back up and running to some of the hardest hit areas. the tracks and bridges, fixed just in time for the spring holiday there. it cost the company more than a billion dollars in repairs and