Soon after, another quake of magnitude 5.6 rocked northern Japan, with the aftershocks being recorded less than two hours after the first earthquake.
This disaster left at least one person dead and at least 161 injured, and damaged buildings and infrastructure in the area.
Located in the seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire, Japan regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes.
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Sushi maker Akio Hanzawa walks in front of his damaged restaurant in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture on March 17, 2022, after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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This handout picture taken on March 17, 2022 and released by NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company shows cracks on a damaged road between Shinchi IC and Yamamoto IC on the Joban Expressway (up line) in Shinchi, Fukushima prefecture.
© AFP 2023 / NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company Limited
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An employee removes merchandise from the shelves under a damaged ceiling at a supermarket in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture on March 17, 2022 after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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A worker conducts electrical work following a power outage in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture on March 17, 2022, after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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This handout picture taken on March 17, 2022 and released by NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company shows cracks on a damaged road between Shinchi IC and Yamamoto IC on the Joban Expressway (up line) in Shinchi, Fukushima prefecture.
© AFP 2023 / Handout / NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company
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Furniture and electrical appliance are scattered caused by an earthquake at an apartment in Fukushima, Japan March 16, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo.
© REUTERS / Kyod
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A man stands in front of a shattered glass door to a Japanese sweets shop in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture on March 17, 2022, after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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Cracks on a road following a strong earthquake are pictured in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on March 17, 2022.
© REUTERS / Kyodo
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Earthquake-affected residents shelter in an omnisport venue in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture on March 17, 2022, after a 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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This picture shows a supermarket littered with merchandise in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture on March 17, 2022 after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / Charly Triballeau
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A derailed Shinkansen bullet train following a strong earthquake is pictured in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on March 17, 2022.
© REUTERS / Kyodo
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This handout picture taken and released on March 17, 2022 by NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company shows cracks on a damaged road between Kunimi IC and Shiroishi IC on the Tohoku Expressway (down line) in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture, after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted eastern Japan the night before.
© AFP 2023 / NEXCO East Nippon Expressway Company Limited
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A damaged building following a strong earthquake is pictured in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan in this photo taken by Kyodo on March 17, 2022. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN
© REUTERS / KYODO
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Employees of the East Japan Railway Company inspect the damage on the Tohoku shinkansen bullet train's pier in Shiroishi, Miyagi prefecture on March 17, 2022 a day after a 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT
© AFP 2023 / JIJI PRESS
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A collapsed barn is seen in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture on March 17, 2022, after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake jolted east Japan the night before. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
© AFP 2023 / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
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People shop in a store in a residential area during a power outage in Koto district in Tokyo on March 16, 2022, after a powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted east Japan. - A powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted eastern Japan on the night of March 16,, 2022, rattling the capital Tokyo and prompting a tsunami advisory for parts of the northeast coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
© AFP 2023 / PHILIP FONG
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Houses and buildings are seen in an electric stoppage at the area after an earthquake at Toshima ward in Tokyo, Japan March 17, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
© REUTERS / ISSEI KATO