Japan nuclear panic after 8.8 magnitude Russian earthquake sparks Fukushima fears

A massive earthquake measuring 8.8 in magnitude off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has prompted Japan to suspend the operation of nuclear plants along the Pacific coasts amid concerns about a repeat of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Tsunami warnings were issued across wide areas of Japan following the undersea quake, which struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning local time.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said waves as high as 60cm had already been detected at multiple points from Hokkaido down to Tokyo Bay - but warned that larger waves could strike later. Some experts said surges of up to three metres were still possible. As sirens wailed across coastal towns, officials rushed to evacuate residents, with more than two million people placed under advisories in over 220 municipalities.

Ferry services and local rail lines were suspended and Sendai Airport has closed its runway.

Tsunami warnings are also in place for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand.

The sheer scale of the response stirred chilling memories of March 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude quake off the northeast coast triggered a towering tsunami and led to one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. At 8.8, the latest tremor is likewise one of the most powerful in recorded history, exceeding the 1906 quake which devastated San Francisco.

At the heart of current fears is the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant - still a site of international scrutiny more than a decade later. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), which operates the facility, confirmed that around 4,000 workers had taken shelter on higher ground.

The release of treated radioactive water into the Pacific was halted, and monitoring teams were put on high alert. So far, TEPCO has reported no abnormalities but in a country acutely aware of its seismic vulnerabilities, reassurance has been difficult to deliver.

Japan's nuclear industry remains scarred by what happened in 2011, when a series of waves, some as high as 14 metres, overwhelmed coastal defences and knocked out backup generators at Fukushima. That failure triggered a triple reactor meltdown, hydrogen explosions, and a mass release of radiation into the air and sea.

More than 160,000 people were forced to flee. Many never returned. The disaster was rated Level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale - the most severe classification.

Since then, efforts to restart Japan's nuclear industry have faced intense resistance. Just 14 reactors have resumed operations out of 54 that were active before 2011, and public trust remains fragile.

Even before Wednesday's quake, Japan had been dealing with criticism over its decision to release treated water from Fukushima into the ocean - a move condemned by several neighbouring countries, including China.

The new tremor has reignited debates about whether any level of preparedness can ever be truly sufficient.

Professor Kazuo Tateno, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo, said: "This earthquake occurred in a known subduction zone, and the risk to Japan was immediate.

"While it's not as close as the 2011 quake, the potential for secondary impacts, including pressure on nuclear facilities, must never be underestimated."

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has stated it will continue to monitor all plants in the affected regions. So far, there have been no reports of radiation leaks or structural damage.

However, officials say high waves could continue for another 24 hours, and aftershocks remain a concern.

The psychological scars from Fukushima are still raw. Residents in coastal towns spoke of panic, traffic jams, and rushes to higher ground. In Tokyo, supermarkets saw shelves stripped of water and essentials within hours.

On social media, the hashtag #Fukushima trended across Japan, with thousands posting memories from 2011 alongside photos of packed emergency shelters and long queues at petrol stations.

One post read simply: "Not again. Please not again."