Tsunami advisory lifted after strong earthquake hits Japanese coast
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(TOKYO and LONDON) — A tsunami advisory has now been lifted after an earlier warning in the wake of a strong earthquake Monday off the coast of Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 6.8. The Japan Meteorological Agency said it had an intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7.
The quake began at around 9:19 p.m. local time, with its epicenter a few miles offshore at a depth of about 19 miles, Japanese and American officials said.
The Japanese weather agency had issued a tsunami advisory for Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures, with expected heights of about 1 meter. One tsunami wave measuring about 8 inches reached some coasts and ports at about 10 p.m., authorities said. They warned residents to continue staying away from the coast and other waterways.
In Kochi Prefecture, residents of some areas were advised to evacuate.
Japanese weather officials said about an hour after the quake that they were still gathering information about disruptions. Some train services were halted, and it was unclear when they would be restarted.
Authorities warned that aftershocks and other jolts may still arrive, so residents should stay in a safe place. Residents were cautioned be wary of broken glass or other debris.
Significant damage has not yet been reported, and there have been no abnormalities in the radiation levels or operations in regional nuclear power plants, officials said.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on January 6, 2025. (Photo by Lee Jin-man / POOL / AFP)
(SEOUL, TOKYO and LONDON) — The South Korean military detected a projectile fired from North Korea that was suspected to be a medium-range ballistic missile, a test-launch that arrived as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea.
The missile was fired from the area surrounding Pyongyang, the capital, toward the East Sea at about noon on Monday, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The joint chiefs said the South Korean military has heightened surveillance for additional launches and is maintaining a readiness posture for sharing ballistic-missile-related data with the U.S. and Japan.
Blinken condemned the test, which he called “yet another violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.” He added that President Joe Biden’s administration has “sought to engage the DPRK and multiple efforts to sit down to talk without any preconditions.”
“We communicated that on many occasions. We’ve done it privately, we’ve done it publicly,” Blinken said during a press conference in Seoul. “And the only response, effectively we’ve gotten has been more and more provocative actions, including missile launches.”
The last time North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile was Nov. 5, just before the U.S. presidential election.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan have during Biden’s term bolstered their real-time information sharing capabilities, a move that Blinken on Monday had “strengthened our common defense and common deterrence.”
He said the launch on Monday amounted to “just a reminder” of the importance of that trilateral collaboration, which has also included military drills.
“All of that and more is a strong and effective response to the provocations from North Korea,” Blinken said. “So I have confidence that, because it’s so in the interest of all of us, it will continue and future administrations, whether it’s here, whether it’s in the United States, whether it’s Japan, we’ll continue to build on the work.”
Tokyo reacted swiftly to the launch, saying it was reinforcing its regional alliances through coordinated action with the United States and South Korea. Officials condemned Pyongyang while emphasizing the importance of a unified approach.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, speaking from Indonesia, issued a strong condemnation, describing the repeated launches as a grave threat to Japan’s national security and regional peace.
“We strongly protest and denounce North Korea’s actions, which endanger not only our country but also the international community,” he said, reaffirming Japan’s commitment to work closely with the U.S. and South Korea to bolster deterrence and conduct thorough surveillance.
Many office workers in Tokyo were returning to their jobs after the New Year’s holidays when news of the launch broke. The projectile reached an altitude of about 62 miles and traveled about 684 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan, another name for the East Sea, and outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense. The Japan Coast Guard confirmed that no damage to vessels in the affected area had been reported.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed serious concern about North Korea’s advancements in missile technology.
“The frequency of these launches and the evident improvement in technology demand that we redouble our efforts to strengthen deterrence,” he said during a press conference. “Japan’s peace and independence must be safeguarded by our own resolve.”
ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of Omer Neutra; Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(LONDON) — Omer Maxim Neutra, an American-Israeli soldier, was among those killed on Oct. 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists poured into southern Israel, officials said on Monday.
Neutra, 21, had been believed to have been taken alive to Gaza as a hostage, but the Israel Defense Forces on Monday said he was instead one of the about 1,200 killed during the surprise attack.
The soldier, who was from New York, had been a tank platoon commander in Israel’s 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion.
“Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every aspect of his being,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, which he released with his wife, Sara. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”
Netanyahu said Neutra, who was a captain, had “fought fiercely” as he led Israeli forces “to defend the settlements surrounding Gaza, until he fell.”
In a statement, the Neutra family said it’s “deeply grieving.”
“Our hearts are shattered with this devastating news. The Neutra family is deeply grieving and are requesting the public, who has shown great support throughout this journey, to please respect their privacy until they are formally ready to announce the next steps,” the statement read.
Israel said it had confirmed via intelligence that Neutra had died during the attack and that his body was still being held in Gaza.
Prior to his military service, Neutra had completed a preparatory year with the Tzabar Garin program, where he “loved sports, playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and served as the captain of his school’s sports teams,” according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic, and caring individual who ‘lights up the room the moment he enters,'” the forum said in a statement posted on social media on Monday.
Neutra’s parents, Orna and Ronen, spoke in July at the Republican National Convention. They told the crowd of their grief, not knowing for more than nine months, whether “your son is alive.”
“We need our beautiful son back,” Ronen Neutra said. “And we need your support — your support to end this crisis, and bring all the hostages back home.”
Netanyahu on Monday said he and his wife shared the family’s “heavy” grief.
“We will not rest or be silent until we return him home to the grave of Israel,” he said, “and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all our captives — the living and the dead.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who represents the New York Congressional district where Neutra was from, wrote on social media on Monday that he was sending condolences to Neutra’s family.
“I have prayed for Omer and his family, and I ask all of you to join me in holding the Neutra family close as they seek to find peace and meaning in this tragedy,” Suozzi wrote.
Three Americans are still presumed to be alive among the dozens of hostages Hamas is still holding.
“We must fulfill the ultimate imperative: to return Omer, and all our abducted men and women — the living to their families, and the fallen and murdered to be laid to rest,” President Isaac Herzog of Israel said in a statement announcing Neutra’s death.
ABC News’ Dave Brennan, Joe Simonetti, Jordana Miller and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Israel’s cabinet has approved the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah after prolonged negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had submitted the proposal to the cabinet for approval Tuesday evening local time. The deal was approved 10-1, with only far-right minister Ben Gvir voting against the plan.
Israel announced the deal, followed shortly after by an announcement at the White House by President Joe Biden. The deal will go into effect at 4 a.m. local time, Biden said.
“Israel appreciates the US contribution to the process, and reserves its right to act against any threat to its security,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said, translated from Hebrew.
Netanyahu said earlier, when submitting the deal for approval, that the deal still relies on the actions of Hezbollah.
“The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue together until victory.”
The prime minister hailed “great achievements” on all fronts of the war, including killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and destroying their weapons across the country.
“With full understanding with the United States, we maintain complete military freedom of action,” Netanyahu said in the address, translated from Hebrew. “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself — we will attack. If it tries to renew terrorist infrastructure near the border — we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck with missiles — we will attack.”
Netanyahu attended a meeting with security officials on Sunday night regarding a ceasefire with Israel’s Hezbollah adversaries in Lebanon, an Israeli official told ABC News.
This was part of ongoing talks, including Netanyahu’s meeting last week in Israel with U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein. Hochstein also traveled to Beirut to discuss a potential way forward.
Netanyahu then held a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the deal and hold a cabinet vote, Israeli officials said.
In October, Israel invaded southern Lebanon in an escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
Tensions heightened last weekend as the countries’ leaders worked to negotiate a ceasefire deal. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in one of the group’s heaviest retaliations in months.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
