By: Logan Bodary

In Japan, the 2024 New Year started disastrously. On January 1, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook the country. Making matters worse, just the day after, a Coast Guard turboprop and a Japan Airlines jet collided in a fiery explosion at Tokyo’s biggest airport. So how did these tragedies play out?

January 1 - 12:00 AM - Noto Peninsula, Japan

In Japan, residents celebrate New Year’s on a frigid winter day. Bells ring vibrantly at local Buddhist temples, the final ring signaling midnight.¹ In the town of Wajima, families celebrate in their homes. It’s a moment of celebration, but what neither residents or tourists know is that in less than 24 hours, they’ll be fighting for their lives.

04:00 PM

The following afternoon, the New Year’s celebration isn’t over. While it’s below freezing outdoors, families enjoy their warm New Year’s dinner in the comfort of their homes.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Sea of Japan, Earth’s tectonic plates shift. Over thousands of years, the Pacific Plate has slipped and rubbed against its neighboring plates, forming the ‘Ring of Fire,’ and Japan is right inside of it.²

Minutes later, a tectonic collision generates the first foreshock. The 5.7 magnitude quake is already strong enough to knock plaster off of walls, slide furniture, and seriously alarm anyone near the epicenter… but it’s only the first of a series of destructive quakes.

04:10 PM

Families take cover wherever they can, preparing for what’s next. The following quake, with a magnitude of 7.6, is the largest to strike Japan since 2011. Many residents have never experienced anything like this. Buildings shake, eventually dislodging from their foundations. Underground pipes burst and chasms open up in asphalt. In Tokyo, which is more than 100 miles from the epicenter, shaking can be felt.

In the town of Wajima alone, 30 buildings collapse and many more catch fire, leaving little time for their occupants to dress for the frigid weather and escape. Every television in the area that remains powered flashes a bright message: TSUNAMI! EVACUATE!²

04:21 PM

Seven more aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or higher strike. By now, the earthquake is over, but there’s a new threat arising. The tsunami residents were warned about the wave hit, but it hit far earlier than anyone had predicted, and few residents in the towns of Wajima and Suzu managed to get far away.

A wave hits the coast, destroying what’s left of many buildings damaged in the earthquake. The highest wave recorded was 21 feet high, and hit a public on the coast of the Seki river, sweeping people away.²

January 2

In the aftermath, Wajima is eerily quiet. 90% of all buildings are completely destroyed. In total 213 were killed and 567 injured due to the quake. Those stranded wait for rescue as the government launches search-and-rescue missions and plans aid for the thousands affected by the disaster.

In the city of Niigata, home to over 800,000, 10 ships are capsized, 15 buildings are flooded, and beach homes are swept away.²

05:45 PM

Preparing to bring supplies to an airbase in Niigata, a Japanese Coast Guard turboprop taxis at Tokyo’s busy Haneda Airport. It’s one of four planes deployed by the government to send supplies in response to the earthquake.

Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Flight 516 descends towards Haneda Airport. The jet is an Airbus A350, and onboard are 367 passengers and 12 crew. The pilots of the jumbo jet line up for Runway 34R and descend closer and closer. What they don’t know is that also on Runway 34R is the Coast Guard aircraft.³

05:47 PM

Japan Airlines Flight 512 touches down on Runway 34R. They don’t see the smaller plane just feet away. Seconds after touchdown, a violent shock knocks the plane off course. Passengers are flung forward in their seats and the jet speeds down the runway, out of control. The crew are passengers in their own plane.
The jet’s passengers have no clue what has happened. Two aircraft have collided on the runway. The Coast Guard plane is crushed, instantly killing all five passengers and leaving the pilot as the sole survivor.

The larger plane is severely damaged. After coming to a stop past the end of the runway, passengers begin to evacuate. The right engine is engulfed in flames and the fire is growing. Smoke fills the cabin.

3 minutes later, 70 fire trucks arrive on the scene. They can do little to save the plane, but they’ll do everything in their power to save the passengers. If it wasn’t already bad enough, communication within the plane is down. The crew must yell their messages to the passengers. Even worse, of the 8 emergency slides the plane is equipped with, only 3 are functional. Nearly 400 passengers must escape a burning plane through only 3 exits before the entire aircraft is engulfed.³

06:05 PM

By an incredible stroke of luck, all 379 occupants escaped. The modern design of the Airbus A350’s fuselage slowed the burning, allowing the passengers to survive with minimal injuries. Firefighters manage to extinguish the fire, but the aircraft is completely destroyed. It’s the airline’s first crash since 1985, and the first and only crash involving the Airbus A350.

While officials aren’t sure what exactly led to the massive mixup, they do know what went right. Japan Airlines' safety video was clear and concise, emphasizing the importance of leaving baggage behind and demonstrating the proper use of emergency slides. Additionally, the well-prepared crew handled the emergency calmly despite multiple things going wrong.⁴

January 12

In the aftermath of two tragedies, the Japanese government is working avidly to rescue the injured and resupply power and water to homes. 300 are still missing. The best case is that they evacuated and are still unaccounted for, but unfortunately, another possibility is that they were killed or severely injured.⁵

In conclusion, Japan’s start to the New Year was tragic. An unexpected earthquake nearly destroyed the towns of Suzu and Wajima. One disaster led to another when a relief aircraft collided with an airliner. Despite the tragedy, the Japanese government’s preparation and response is commendable.

After 2011’s disastrous quake that led to the meltdown at Fukushima, nuclear plants are better equipped to handle earthquakes. While the tsunami arrived earlier than expected, the quick broadcast of an emergency warning was still enough to save hundreds of lives, and the seawalls along Japan’s Western coast prevented further flooding.²

The Haneda Airport collision could have been far more disastrous, but the crew’s handling of the disaster, the passenger’s cooperation, and the aircraft’s design saved nearly 400 lives. If the disaster has a silver lining, it’s the fact that the wreckage is currently being used to study how the fire spread and prevent similar disasters in the future.⁴