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Powerful 7.5 Earthquake Hits Japan, Triggers Tsunami Warnings; IDF Begins to Draw Down the Number of Soldiers in Gaza; Two Weeks to Go Until Iowa Caucuses. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN News Central. I'm Rahel Solomon alongside John Berman.

We continue to follow breaking news for you this morning, just frightening scenes coming out of Japan on this New Year's Day. Japan's west coast reeling after a powerful 7.5 magnitude quake caused widespread damage, triggered tsunami warnings and four-foot tsunami waves.

This is the moment that the quake struck just a few hours ago. You see that building crumbling to the ground on the screen's upper left side there. And take a look at the scene from inside of an office building.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the first time I'm seeing video. You can see just how long it goes on and just how violent that shaking is. Houses have collapsed. We have seen pictures of roofs there just fallen down. The earthquake also caused fires in some areas. And at this moment, tsunami warnings do remain in effect. They have been downgraded.

You can see the initial impact of one of these tsunamis, one of these small waves there. It doesn't look like much, but this can be a threat, particularly if you get repeated waves. The warnings now are of waves of up to ten feet.

We have full team coverage for you. CNN's Hanako Montgomery is in Tokyo, Derek Van Dam at the Weather Center.

Hanako, first to you. What are you hearing at this point from the Japanese government?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. So, right now, it's currently night time in Japan. So, we're still waiting to confirm a lot of outstanding questions about the extent of the devastation from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. But what we do know is that 33,000 homes in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is very close to the epicenter, have lost power.

We also know that bullet train lines have been suspended. Some roads have had cracks in them, making it very difficult for emergency medical personnel to get to survivors.

We also know that fires have broken out across Ishikawa Prefecture and a thousand self-defense force personnel have been dispatched to aid in evacuation efforts. This is along with 1,700 firefighters also to help in evacuation efforts.

Now, 20 self-defense force aircraft are also monitoring the area to just try to get a sense of the extent of this devastation.

Now, also, I just want to point out that this did happen on New Year's Day, a time when many people are celebrating New Year's with their families, in their homes, with their loved ones. And when this quake hit at 4:10 P.M., that initial quake hit at 4:10 P.M., it shocked the entire country. People were forced to leave their homes, leave their belongings and evacuate to higher ground.

Of course, the aftershocks that followed soon afterwards were also very powerful. And it's reminding a lot of people of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami because of just how long the quakes are, how the tsunami warnings have also been issue, John, and just really a lot of fear and just lots to confirm about the extent of devastation.

SOLOMON: Yes, really early days into sort of assessing the damage. Hanako, thank you.

Let me bring Derek into the conversation. Derek, as we just said, we know the tsunami warnings have been downgraded, but help us understand practically what that means. I mean, what is the risk right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Rahel, John, what you're seeing is some really stunning new video coming out of the Ishikawa Prefecture. This is new to us. And you're looking at Suzu City, Japan. So, this is on the opposite side of the peninsula.

And just zooming in, what you're looking at is the break wall, some of the sea wall here. We're analyzing this video on the fly, so it's a bit tricky to establish exactly what's going on. But we believe that this is the moment the tsunami, the initial tsunami wave, impacted this part of the Ishikawa Prefecture.

And you can see the water kind of pummeling over that sea wall, which we would have to guess here. Here is several meters high if it's protecting a harbor, but you can see the waves splashing up into the populated areas.

[10:05:07]

I'm going to reset my graphics here and just give a little bit more of an indication of where exactly this is. We've zoomed into Suzu City and there is that breakwater wall. This is the population area. And, again, this is on the opposite side of where the magnitude 7.5 earthquake actually occurred.

So, we're getting some profound video of the tsunami wave that has actually moved in. And you can see other areas there fitting that narrative of waves over four feet in some instances, with tsunami warnings still ongoing across those western-facing shorelines of the country of Japan, particularly across the Hanshu region.

BERMAN: All right. Derek Van Dam, thanks to you. Hanako Montgomery, who is in Tokyo, our thanks to both of you.

SOLOMON: Let's continue the conversation now. Joining us now is Robert Geller. He is a seismologist and emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo. Robert, good to have you today.

Can I just ask, I mean, you are in Tokyo. Did you feel the earthquake? Can you share with us what your experience was?

ROBERT GELLER, SEISMOLOGIST: Well, I felt the earthquake, but only very, very low level of shaking. I had the T.V. on and the warnings of an imminent earthquake striking Ishikawa Prefecture were repeated on a loop over and over again with a kind of horn warning people. So, that was very dramatic. But, actually, you could hardly feel anything in Tokyo.

SOLOMON: Oh, that's really interesting. In the video that we're showing, I'm not sure if you can see the screen right now, but the video is also quite dramatic, monitors in office buildings really shaking. From your perspective, I mean, what is the biggest risk right now? What are you watching right now?

GELLER: Well, there are two risks. One is the buildings that have collapsed or partially collapsed, if there are people trapped in them, the emergency forces have about 48 hours to get the people out, or mostly it's too late. So, that's a race against time. And I'm sure the firemen and self-defense forces will do the best they can.

The second risk is there's a very small probability, maybe only 1 or 2 percent that you could have an even bigger earthquake in the next week or two. There sure to be aftershocks, but almost all the time they're smaller than the main shock.

So, the aftershocks will only be a problem for buildings that have already been damaged and any little further blow can demolish them. But if you have a bigger earthquake, that could really be a problem. It's not very likely, but it's not impossible.

BERMAN: Yes, non-0 percent chance we're talking about here. So, people do need to be on alert.

We have seen some images of some of the smaller waves, the initial tsunamis that did occur from this. There are still warnings in effect for waves of up to ten feet high. How long do you think people need to be on alert for the water there?

GELLER: Well, from the main shock, probably not that much longer. I think perhaps the government is being a little overly cautious, bearing in mind what happened in 2011. But it's one of these better safe than sorry things. If people stay away from their homes for 24 hours, that's probably not such a bad thing, just in case. BERMAN: extra precautions certainly in order, given what happened in 2011 and the severity of this quake. It was a very powerful earthquake, still assessing the damage from.

Professor Robert Geller, we do appreciate you being with us. Thank you so much. Happy New Year to you.

GELLER: You're welcome, and same to you.

SOLOMON: Well, coming up, Israel says that it intercepted several rockets from Gaza just minutes into the New Year. Why the IDF is starting to draw down its troops in the region.

Plus, several Republican candidates are making their final pitch to voters in Iowa as we are just two weeks out from the Iowa caucuses.

And several drug makers are lowering the cost of insulin for Americans with diabetes, the price drop that patients may start to see at the pharmacy.

We'll be right back.

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[10:10:00]

BERMAN: All right. The breaking news this morning, the west coast of Japan is on high alert this morning after a major earthquake, magnitude 7.5, struck several hours ago.

We're getting new video back in of homes damaged, roads damaged in this earthquake. We've seen several fires burning. Officials say there are at least 33,000 homes affected by power outages at this moment.

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JOHNNY WU, SNOWBOARDER: Suddenly, it gets pretty strong as quick, you can see all the snow from the electric wire goes down and also from the roof fell down and all the car is shaking. And so everybody was panic that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Tsunami warnings have been issued on the west coast, we're talking about the west coast of Japan here, which I think is important to point out to people, about 180 miles from Tokyo. Tens of millions of people felt this earthquake in Tokyo, but the Ishigawa Prefecture, which is where the epicenter of this quake was, has a much lower population, about a million people there in that area.

[10:15:03]

Still, there are tsunami warnings in effect and people have been urged to evacuate. We have seen what waves about four feet high. Officials do warn those ways could get up to ten feet. Several aftershocks have been reported, and Japan's weather agency warns they could continue over the next three days to a week. More than a thousand members of Japan's self-defense force have been dispatched to the earthquake zone.

SOLOMON: All right. Let's go to the Middle East now, where, starting today, the IDF will begin to pull some of their troops out of Gaza. The move is seemingly to help them prepare for prolonged fighting in 2024. And it comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war against Hamas will continue for months.

Joining me now is Journalist Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv. So, Elliott, what more does this look like and what does this mean for the people in Gaza?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rahel, what this means is that about 20,000 soldiers, give or take, are going to be allowed to leave the fighting in Gaza, go back to their homes, to their families, to their jobs, to enable them to regroup, recuperate, refresh and also retrain for the war ahead. What this doesn't mean is that Israel is moving to anything like this lower intensity phase of fighting, which the United States has been pushing for.

And one of the other reasons for allowing these soldiers to go back home is because the impact this war is having on Israel's economy. Many companies, many businesses have lost some of their key workers as a result of this fighting. And just to underline the uncertainty in the economy, the Bank of Israel has just announced cutting interest rates for the first time in 18 months. It was raising them like many other central banks around the world to fight inflation before this war.

So, a lot of uncertainty surrounding the economy and the IDF saying that this, where they hope will, you know, lend a little bit of a hand to the Israeli economy.

As far as the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip go, where, of course, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 20,000 people have been killed since the fighting began on October the 7th, since Hamas' murderous rampage through Israel on October the 7th.

And there isn't much to celebrate this New Year either, because this doesn't mean the fighting is going to wind down. It doesn't mean that the war is ending any kind of endgame. All they can really hope for is more humanitarian aid and some kind of truce, which it should be said many in Israel are also pushing for in order to get more of those 100 plus hostages who remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, who were kidnapped by Hamas and others on October the 7th to get those hostages back into Israel in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

There have been conversations. There are some hopes that we may be inching towards another truce. Nothing concrete yet. We're not there yet. But that really is the only hope for a pause in fighting for the people in the Gaza Strip right now. Rahel.

SOLOMON: Elliott Gotkine live for us in Tel Aviv, Elliott, thank you. BERMAN: All right. With us now is CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier and CNN Military Analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Kim, I just want to start with you and ask about this, this troop, I don't know if we can call it a drawdown, but the fact that Israel is pulling back thousands of reservists who have been deployed inside Gaza, what's the significance there, in your mind?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think the significance is that Israel is preparing for a marathon, not a sprint. Its main combat forces have remained focused on this. But as Elliott was saying, there's been a real outcry across Israel about businesses going out of business. A lot of single proprietors who've had to be deployed in Gaza, losing their markets, their groceries, their restaurants, because they're not there to run things.

I don't think it means a lessening, however, of combat operations in that Israeli officials have talked about a number of high-ranking Hamas officials still being at large inside Gaza, just as they approach Southern Gaza with combat operations, which is where most people have fled to, it's densely packed, and it's also known as one of the areas where the tunnel system is just as robust as it was in the north.

BERMAN: Colonel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, continues to talk about total victory inside Gaza. What does that mean at this point?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, that's a really good question, John. I think what he's referring to is basically decapitating Hamas to getting rid of the leadership by people like Sinwar and folks like. The basic idea that he has is to eliminate Hamas as a military and political threat.

Now, in order to do that, that requires either an extremely extensive mopping up operation, or if one thought longer term, the recalibrating of things as much as the education system in Gaza. But, of course, that's not really part of Netanyahu's strategy at this point.

[10:20:02]

What he's looking at is a solution that's not really a quick solution because it's going to take some time, but he's looking at a military solution to the problem of Hamas. It's going to be really tough for him to achieve it.

BERMAN: Kim, if we can, I want to shift our focus now from what's happening in Israel and Gaza to the war in Ukraine. And we are getting word now that Russia's bombardment, aerial bombardment of Ukraine continues, new airstrikes over Odessa.

And as that's happening, we're hearing from Vladimir Putin as part of his annual holiday message, his New Year's address. And I just want to put a picture up on the screen so people can see what it looks like here. Because when you look at this, you see something specific. Explain, Kim.

DOZIER: Well, last year, he had troops behind him. It was a very patriotic message about continuing the war in Ukraine. I think this year what you see is that war has been normalized for the people of Russia. The outcry against it has largely been beaten silent, no mention of the hundreds of thousands of troops lost to death and injury in this fight. In a sense, he is implacably pressing forward, as he also goes to another election in March, where he is pretty much the unchallenged candidate to become president once again.

So, war ahead, all systems go, is his message, as his war machine also has stepped up the pace. And he's also secured supplies from countries like Iran. One of the major components of the aerial bombardment of Ukraine in the past few days has been Iranian-made drones, this just as Ukraine has been fighting to get in supplies of basic ammunition to keep up its fight.

BERMAN: And, Cedric as we look at this, you know, the airstrikes in Odessa, but we've seen them in Kyiv, in Kharkiv, all the way over here in Lviv, also in Central Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, other regions. How long could Russia keep this up for, Cedric?

LEIGHTON: Well, that's a really good question, John. I do think that we have underestimated the capacity of the Russians to withstand this. One of the things that we -- in addition to what Kim mentioned, we have to look at there's about an 800 percent increase in the trade in certain materials between China and Russia. And that material is predominantly war material that has been shipped into Russia from China and also North Korea.

So, the Russians can sustain this for some time. What can really stop them is some kind of industrial problem that they might have. Their production rates have increased for things like tanks and even airplanes and also munitions.

So, the big thing that we have to look for is some kind of impact that the sanctions are having on their arms production. And I think that impact is at the moment not as great as the west thought it would be. So, he can keep this up for about another six months or so, I think.

BERMAN: Kim Dozier, Colonel Cedric Leighton, our thanks to both of you, Happy New Year. Rahel?

SOLOMON: All right, John, thank you.

It is the first major test of the 2024 election year. Ahead, what we expect to see at the Iowa caucuses now just two weeks from today.

Plus, we continue to follow and stay on top of the breaking news out of Japan. That's where dozens of aftershocks have been recorded following a massive 7.5 earthquake. We're going to have the latest on the tsunami warnings when we come back.

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[10:25:00] SOLOMON: Welcome back, and back to our breaking news this morning. Japan has downgraded the major tsunami warning issued for the region of Noto to a tsunami warning. That's after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Western Japan. But right now, the threat is still not over.

Let's bring in CNN's Hanako Montgomery who joins us now from Tokyo. Hanako, you've been covering this and following this all morning long. What's the very latest right now?

MONTGOMERY: Yes, Rahel. We're still waiting to confirm the extent of this devastation, but we know that 33,000 homes in Ishikawa Prefecture near the epicenter of this quake are experiencing blackouts. We also know that six -- there are six cases of people being trapped under their homes. We're seeing fires break out across Ishikawa Prefecture.

We know that the Japan Self-Defense Force are currently trying to dispatch people to try to help evacuate some of the citizens around that area. And also police have also sent hundreds of people there just to really get people out of there, Rahel.

SOLOMON: All right. Hanako Montgomery, we're going to continue to check in with you throughout the morning. Thanks for the update. John?

BERMAN: So, in just 14 days, the Iowa caucuses bring the first major test of the 2024 election year. Finally, it is this year. We can just say the election year which we're in as of now, as Donald Trump and his Republican rivals prepare their final pitches.

It will be interesting to see if any of them take the advice of the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, for the New Year. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Biden, your hopes for America.

JILL BIDEN, U.S. FIRST LADY: Well, I think it's what I would always tell my students, be positive, be optimistic and be kind to one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Be kind, which isn't always the best political advice in a campaign season.

CNN's Eva McKend following all of the election threads as the countdown to the caucus fully on, Eva.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes indeed John. You know, the first lady's comment always a good reminder but we'll see how nice everyone can remain as they start to feel the squeeze in the days ahead here, and they feel as when they start to examine if there's any payoff after all the months that they have all spent on the campaign trail.

Speaking of the trail, Governor DeSantis, he joined his family last night for a New Year's Eve gathering, where he suggested to supporters he would aim to outwork his opponents in the closing days here.

[10:30:06]