Bystanders view damage to a road near Noto, Japan, on Tuesday, Januar 2. Hiro Komae/APA seismologist with the US Geological Survey warned that aftershocks caused by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday could last for months. In 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in eastern Japan caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors. Some of the first reports came from the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture, which saw tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) around 4:21 p.m. local time, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “Where the fault was moving was very close to where people were living, and that can concentrate shaking close to where the earthquake happened.