Powerful 7.4 Magnitude Aftershock Hits Northeast Japan

Two people are dead and more than a hundred injured after a 7.4 magnitude aftershock rocked northeast Japan on Thursday… and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast devastated by last month's massive quake and tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant.

Places like Sendai City here hit hard, yet again… still recovering from last month’s devastation.

Residents in Japan’s Yamagata City wake up to face another power outage.

The warning was later lifted and no tsunami was reported after the quake, which struck shortly before midnight.

With power to everything from traffic lights to convenience stores out, police are in the streets directing traffic as some people wandered out to find breakfast.

Although unable to brew coffee without electricity, Doutour chain coffee shop owner Shigeru Urayama decided to open his store anyway.

[Shigeru Urayama, Owner, Doutour Coffee Shop]:
"Since there's a lot of people affected by the quake who aren't giving up, I also don't plan on giving up. So I opened the store today because I saw all the other stores were closed, and since I figured people would have trouble finding food, I decided to open."

The menu without electricity however is limited to hand-made sandwiches and cans of instant coffee.

While Thursday's aftershock was the largest since the March 11th quake, some, such as 40-year-old Minoru Hatakeyama, say they still plan on continuing life as normal.

[Minoru Hatakeyama, Yamagata Resident]:
"I plan on heading to work normally, although I'm not sure exactly what will happen then. I think there'll be some difficulties."

Large parts of northern Japan, whose infrastructure was severely damaged by the March 11 quake and tsunami, are without electricity following the latest of many aftershocks.

By 1:30 a.m. local time, seven people were reported injured, two seriously, according to a spokesman for the National Police Agency.

Last month's 9.0 magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves which swept in along the coast, wiping out towns. About 28-thousand people were killed or are missing.