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7.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Western Japan; Kyiv Declares New Year's Day to be a Day of Mourning as Death Toll Grows from Friday's Russian Strikes; U.S. Helicopter Sink Three Houthi Boats in Red Sea. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Max Foster.

We're beginning with breaking news, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hitting Western Japan and a tsunami warning being issued. It struck around 4:00 P.M. Local time. A series of strong aftershocks have already been recorded as well, so not just one tremor.

Japan's prime minister urging residents in tsunami areas to evacuate as soon as possible and get to higher ground.

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency say the original quake had a depth of ten kilometers, or six miles, which has a huge impact on how powerful the aftershocks are.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us live from Tokyo. Thank you for joining us.

First of all, I just want to ask you about the tsunamis because we're getting reports that they have actually hit the coastline.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, that's correct. We're seeing some tsunamis that measure 1.2 meters in height or nearly 4 feet. But a major tsunami warning has been issued and we could potentially see tsunamis measuring up to five meters in the city of Noto, in Ishikawa Prefecture. We also know that the entire Japan Sea Coast, which is the western coast of the country, has seen tsunami warnings issued.

Just for context, the 2011 Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami, natural disasters that killed 22,000 people saw tsunamis with 30-foot waves. For this earthquake that happened on New Year's Day, we're already seeing aftershocks, several aftershocks.

So far, no nuclear abnormalities have happened at any of the nuclear plants in the quake area, but the Japan prime minister has urged the public to be careful of powerful earthquakes and flee as soon as possible from areas with tsunami warnings. They said they're working on helping evacuate people. And the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he has no concrete details on damages just yet.

FOSTER: Yes. But the fact that he came out and made that very late statement very quickly is very telling, isn't it? And just put this into context for us, a tsunami of one meter initially doesn't look that intimidating, but it's the force behind it, isn't it, and actually, a meter can cause a huge amount of damage when it hits land.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, that's correct. A meter of a tsunami wave can actually kill a person. And what's dangerous about these tsunamis is that they're slow rolling. So, you expect the tsunami waves to be quite small, but they get larger and larger and just more and more dangerous. So, that's why you're seeing people being evacuated from the western coast of Japan, being told to flee to higher ground. They've been told that they can't return home until the warnings have been lifted, and we don't quite know when that will happen yet.

Of course, this is a developing story. So, until we have more confirmation as to just how extensive this damage is, people won't be able to return home yet. And just culturally speaking, New Year's Day is a very important day for many families in Japan. Many people spend it at home with their loved ones, with their childhood friends, for instance. And just for the tsunami to happen on this day very specifically is quite alarming to many people in the country.

FOSTER: Absolutely. We're getting some pictures. We're showing them as you speak. But it's very, very limited, isn't it, the information we're getting, for obvious reasons, and it's almost the less information we get from the local areas, the more worrying it is.

But you did mention there the one meter-high waves that are already struck, but you also mentioned a warning of a wave at five meters, which would be extraordinary.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, that's correct. So, we're already seeing 1.2 meters hitting parts of Japan. But, of course, there has been a warning issued for a tsunami that could be five meters high. And, of course, the Japanese government wants to be cautious about what kind of warnings they issue in case a larger and larger tsunami hits Japan. That's why you have these warnings come through. And, again, because this is a developing story, this is a natural disaster. The Japanese government can't control just how big the tsunami could be, just how destructive it could be, which is why we're seeing people evacuate their homes and their neighborhoods.

[04:05:08]

FOSTER: Okay. Hanako Montgomery, in Tokyo, back with you as you get more on that, we're following that story very closely for you.

Meanwhile, the New Year is off to a somber start. At the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has declared a national day of mourning as the death toll rose to 52 after Friday's massive aerial assault by Russia. But in a New Year's speech, Ukraine's president struck a resilient note, saying the country had already, quote, defeated the darkness, unquote, thanks to the strength of its people.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Ukraine is alive. Ukraine lives. Ukraine fights. Ukraine advances. Ukraine overcomes the path. Ukraine gains. Ukraine works. Ukraine exists. And all together, this is not a New Year's miracle, not a fairy tale, not magic, but the merit of each of you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Russian President Vladimir Putin also released a pre-recorded New Year's address. He emphasized Russia's self-reliance and unity in pursuit of its national interests.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: We are acutely and clearly aware of how much during this period depends on ourselves, on our attitude towards the best, our desire to support each other in word and deed. Working for the common good brought the community together. We are united in our thoughts, in work and in battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian joining me now for more on all of this. Obviously, people have been busy the last few days. Just take us through that horrendous attack and the fallout.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, obviously it's been a very deadly few days. The Russian bombardment of Ukraine on Friday said to be the biggest since the war began. Then there was obviously the Ukrainian -- Russia blaming Ukraine for the attack on the border region of Belgorod, attacks on Kharkiv region, which Russia says is in retaliation. And then we have more into the New Year, Ukraine's Air Force saying that pretty much all regions of the country went into New Year's Eve with air alerts. Essentially, they're saying that an unprecedented number of drones, 90 drones, were fired at the country, of which they managed to avert 87. So, that is something of a victory for Ukraine's air defenses.

But this is really their worst nightmare because we know that the air defense missiles are dwindling. We know that they've just taken delivery or just been promised their last package of military aid from the U.S until more funding is approved, which is by no means certain at this point. So, the fact that these air assaults are stepping up both with drones and as we saw on Friday, a combination of drones and missiles is really the worst case scenario for Ukraine.

Separately, pro-Russian officials are accusing Ukraine of shelling Donetsk, killing four people there, according to the Russian-backed governor of that region. So, violence stepping up on both sides as we head into the New Year, Max.

FOSTER: And we play some of those speeches, what do you read into them in terms of 2024?

SEBASTIAN: Very different approaches to these speeches. President Putin's was just over three and a half minutes long, which is not only much shorter than President Zelenskyy's 20-minute speech, but less than half the length of his speech last year. So, he's pared it back.

He didn't once mention the war in Ukraine overtly. He alluded to it. He thanked the servicemen. But it was a sort of, perhaps a way of bringing an element of normality as he heads into an election in March. An election, of course, in name only, it's pretty much already preordained that he's going to win.

But President Zelenskyy, by contrast, was really a sort of blow by blow account of Ukraine's successes. He talked about the diplomatic achievements and in particular about the European Union. Take a listen.

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ZELENSKYY: Ukrainians are stronger than any blockades and vetoes, disbelief or skepticism, a country that is implementing extremely difficult and necessary reforms and changes during the war, and as a result, a country that is now awaited in the European Union. And these are not just words. These are official decisions, official documents. And this process will definitely have a logical conclusion, full- fledged membership in strong Europe, a powerful one, from Lisbon to Luhansk.

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SEBASTIAN: From Lisbon to Luhansk. This is the biggest, I think, achievement that Ukraine can point to this year, because, obviously, that is the core of what they're fighting for, is E.U. membership. And on the flipside, of course, the front lines have barely moved. The air assault is stepping up, and they're looking pretty vulnerable going into the New Year without any guarantee of further U.S. support.

President Putin, by contrast, looking confident, but I think both leaders are trying to essentially exhort their populations, both of them, conflict-weary, to hang on for longer here.

FOSTER: Okay, Clare, thank you so much.

We'll have more on the breaking news out of Japan as well, the earthquake and the tsunami warnings. In fact, the tsunamis have started hitting Japan right now. We'll have the very latest for you.

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FOSTER: We are following breaking news out of Japan, where a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the western part of the country a short while ago. Watch this. It's the moment the, the quake hit.

Now, a tsunami warning has been issued. Authorities are urging residents to evacuate immediately and go to higher ground. Waves up to 1.2 meters high have been seen so far hitting the coast. The U.S. Geological Survey says there have been a series of aftershocks as well, so it's ongoing. More than 32,000 homes are without power, but we're getting very little other information. For more, I'm joined by Robert Geller, seismologist, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Thank you so much for joining us.

I mean, what do you make of these early signs, one meter tsunamis and a warning of a five-meter tsunami coming into Japan?

ROBERT GELLER, SEISMOLOGIST, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO: Well, this is actually something that can be expected, not an earthquake in that particular location, but from time to time, an earthquake of this magnitude someplace along the Sea of Japan coast.

[04:15:00]

And probably the tsunami will be a bit less than five meters but the government is very wisely advising people to evacuate. It's far better to evacuate even if it wasn't necessary than to remain in place and find out that it was necessary. So, I think the government's reacting appropriately.

FOSTER: Okay, we're joined by Robert Geller, seismologist, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. And thank you for joining us.

In terms of the earthquake, it was quite shallow, wasn't it? That's the issue here, why it's triggered these tsunamis.

GELLER: Well, that's correct. The shallower -- when you have an earthquake underneath the ocean, as this one, the shallower, it is. The more it lifts up the sea bottom and the bigger the tsunami that's generated. So, there are many earthquake faults underneath the sea near the coast and this earthquake occurred on one of them.

FOSTER: Now how does five meters compare with previous tsunamis that have come into Japan?

GELLER: Well, you know, the tsunami in 2011 in Tohoku was about 15 meters. So, five meters is about one third of the size. But on the other hand, that's still enough to cause significant damage near the coast.

FOSTER: Can you just explain why they're so deadly? Because often we see the images initially of the waves coming into the coast and they don't look that intimidating. But just explain to us the dynamics of why they're so dangerous.

GELLER: Well, they're so dangerous because they're not like ordinary waves at the beach where they run up and then run out. The tsunami is a wave. It's not very big in the open ocean, but then as it nears the coast, it gets higher and higher, and it packs a tremendous amount of momentum.

So, it keeps going and going and going, maybe in some cases, one kilometer or more inland. And there's nothing to stop it, other than the people and the building and the cars and so on that are in the way. They all get washed away. There's no stopping it. It packs tremendous momentum. FOSTER: Obviously, Japan, you know, it's a rich country. It has prepared for these moments. If people get into higher buildings, a lot of those, hopefully, will be, you know, braced for this sort of natural occurrence.

GELLER: Yes, I hope so. But, you know, depending on the people, they may be older people without cars living in some isolated location. So, there may be some people who unfortunately have a very hard time evacuating. And there may also be people who ignore the warnings. I hope there are none of those.

So, Japan has spent a lot of money on buildings that are safe for earthquakes shaking but tsunami safety is a different story. And they're doing the best they can. But it's hard to be perfect, unfortunately.

FOSTER: Yes, and we're still waiting for, you know, reports from the ground and the longer we're waiting, the more worrying that is. But, Seismologist Robert Geller, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, really appreciate you joining us today with your insights. We'll keep following that story close.

GELLER: Yes, I'm happy to help.

FOSTER: Thank you for joining us.

Now, U.S. helicopters repelled an attack by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday, sinking three boats and killing all those on board. It's the first time since the war broke out in Gaza that the U.S. has killed members of the Iranian-backed group, which has been targeting vessels in the region to show support for Hamas.

CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: U.S. Central Command says two Navy helicopters shot and sank a Houthi rebel boat in the Red Sea this weekend. This is the first instance of a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Houthis since the October 7th terror attacks. And this has been a source of growing concern within the Biden administration, the sense that this conflict could widen further.

Now, the way this incident unfolded is that a commercial vessel that was transiting the Red Sea came under attack from the Houthi rebels in the boats. They sent out a distress call to the U.S. military, which sent these helicopters. When the Houthis fired on those helicopters, the U.S. fired back sinking the boats and killing all of those aboard. And it's a significant moment because it is the first time that the U.S. has killed a member of the Houthi rebel group since the conflict in Israel began.

[04:20:00]

The U.S. has been watching this situation very closely. Transiting the Red Sea are these commercial vessels. It's a key commercial route, merchant boats, commercial vessels, all sort of coming under fire from the Houthis, and this is something that the U.S. has tried to prevent by gathering a coalition of about 20 countries to beef up security in the region.

The vessel that was fired upon this weekend was owned by Maersk. In fact, that group had just resumed transiting the Red Sea when this happened. Now, they say they will wait 48 hours before making a decision on whether they will go back to the Red Sea moving forward.

President Biden is, of course, watching this very closely as the New Year begins. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will be traveling to the Middle East, including Israel next week. At the top of his discussions will be these conversations with the Israelis about shifting to a lower intensity phase of the conflict.

That is something that the United States wants to see happen very soon, but this will certainly be a top issue for President Biden as he enters 2024.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, traveling with President Biden in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

FOSTER: Some U.S. lawmakers are calling on the White House to respond more forcefully amid these escalating attacks on cargo ships in the U.S. military in the Red Sea. Others say President Biden is striking the right balance.

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REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): This administration has been very timid in responding to escalations by Iran.

The president absolutely has to look at what actions need to be taken in Yemen to be able to prevent the Houthis to continue to put commercial and military vessels at risk.

The fact that the president is not doing that is giving Iran a total pass and ability to operate without consequences in the area.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): The U.S. is seeking the absolute right approach, carefully engaging. Obviously, what happened earlier was self-defense. And this idea that the president or the White House does not take Iran seriously is completely false.

I mean, Iran is clearly a danger to the region. And, clearly, there are abuses of civil rights and human rights for their own people should disturb everyone. The president has been very forceful against the entire government, the authoritarian government that Iran is really pressing on and really, I think, hurting not just their own people, but the entire region.

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FOSTER: It's not been a peaceful start to 2024 in the Middle East, where the battle between Israel and Hamas rages on. Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing claims it launched a barrage of M90 rockets over Tel Aviv at midnight local time. At least 12 of them were intercepted by Israel, according to a CNN team on the ground there. Now, video taken from southern Israel, flares were seen falling over Gaza with a string of loud explosions, this as the New Year began, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning that the war will continue for months. He says he has no plans to resign after calls from the opposition leader to do just that.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The only thing I intend to resign from is Hamas. This is what I'm going to get rid of. This is what I'm busy with, nothing else.

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FOSTER: Well, on Sunday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians will not accept displacement from their land. The Waffen News Agency reports he slammed Israel for its, quote, comprehensive war of extermination.

CNN's Jim Bittermann joins us now from Paris. What do you think he made of that -- what did you think he was meaning by that, Jim?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, I think of the situation, he's reflecting the situation on the ground, which is more and more desperate by the day. In fact, there are about, even despite what he's saying about the Palestinian people, not accepting displacement.

But there are now, according to aid agencies, something like 1.9 million Gazans who have been displaced from the north to the south. They're all crowded into the southeast corner of the Gaza Strip, are in and around the Rafah border crossing and the second largest city in Gaza, that is Khan Younis.

In any case, the situation for those on the ground is really desperate. Those displaced people are living in tents, some of them, if they are lucky, some are sleeping in the open. Food situation is increasingly dire with fewer and fewer goods available on the marketplace and those goods that are available are expensive and the sanitation conditions are worsening.

So, for the Palestinians that have been displaced, it's going to be a very, very difficult winter, indeed. Here's a look at what a Palestinian on the ground, one of those who's been displaced, had to say about the conditions.

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ABU BADULLAH AL-AGHA, DISPLACED FROM KHAN YOUNIS: In 2024, I wish to go back to the wreckage of my home, pitch a tent and live there.

[04:25:00]

In 2024, I wish for our children to live in peace and security, to go back to school, back to university, for workers to go back to work and find a source of income. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: Well, it's great to have those hopes and those wishes, but, in fact, the difficulty is that neither side looks like it's getting close to accomplishing its goals. The Israeli Prime Minister says he's in it for the long haul that he wants to rid the Gaza Strip of Hamas for once and for all, and for the Palestinians, they're saying that they're going to continue the struggle. So, it's going to be a very difficult start to the New Year, Max.

FOSTER: Jim in Paris, thank you.

We'll have more on the breaking news of the earthquake and the tsunami concerns in Japan right now after this break.

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FOSTER: The latest on our breaking news, coastal regions of Japan on the west coast are under a tsunami warning after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the west of the country, and there are reports of tsunami waves actually coming ashore.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, at least nine aftershocks have rattled the region, including one with a magnitude of 6.2. So far, there are no reports of anything abnormal at the nuclear parts in the region. We're monitoring that we'll have more on that story as it becomes available.

But CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us live from Tokyo with the very latest on which waves have hit and also the larger ones you expect to see.

MONTGOMERY: Hi, Max. So, as you mentioned we saw a huge earthquake, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hitting Western Japan.

[04:30:05]

A tsunami warning has been issued for the entire west coast.