Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys.

Local media reported at least 50 deaths, with more casualties feared.

And the 8.9-magnitude quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. local time, prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a tsunami warning for at least 50 countries and territories.

It also sparked fires in at least 80 locations, Kyodo news reported.

Its epicenter was offshore 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said.

But residents there continued to feel aftershocks hours after the quake. More than 30 aftershocks followed, with the strongest measuring 7.1.

"I wasn't scared when it started ... but it just kept going and going," said Michelle Roberts, who lives in central Tokyo. "I won't lie, it was quite scary. But we are all OK. We live on the third floor, so most everything shook and shifted."

A spokesman for the U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and there were no reports of damage to installations or ships.

President Barack Obama, while offering his condolences, said the United States was standing by to help "in this time of great trial."

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said an emergency task force has been activated, and appealed for calm. He said there were no reported leaks of radioactive materials from power plants.

Four nuclear power plants closest to the quake were safely shut down, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said.

At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway stations, shaken commuters grabbed one another to stay steady as the ground shook. Dazed residents poured into the streets after offices and schools were closed. Children cried.

The quake toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas.

Firefighters battled a fiery blaze at an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.

Residents said though earthquakes are common in Japan, Friday's stunned most people.

"This was larger than anyone expected and went on longer than anyone expected," said Matt Alt, who lives in Tokyo.

"My wife was the calm one ... she told us to get down and put your back on something, and leave the windows and doors open in case a building shifts so you don't get trapped."

Richard Lloyd Parry said he looked through a window and saw buildings shaking from side to side.

"Central Tokyo is fine from what we see, people are calm ... and not going inside buildings," he said.

Such a large earthquake at such a shallow depth -- 24.4 kilometers (15.2 miles) -- creates a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey.

As the city grappled with the devastation, a massive tsunami swept across the Pacific Ocean.

An earthquake of that size can generate a dangerous tsunami to coasts outside the source region, the National Weather Service said.

In Philippines alone, the tsunami is expected to hit in the early morning and the government has evacuated coastal areas.

The National Weather Service issued warnings for more than 50 countries and territories.

The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii, where warning sirens were sounded in the morning. A tsunami warning was also issued for areas along the United States and Canadian west coasts.

While some officials feared that waves from the tsunami could be high enough to wash over entire islands in the Pacific, at least one expert said it was unlikely.

The tsunami could cause significant damage and flooding, but "washing over islands is not going to happen," said Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Humanitarian agencies were working with rescue crews to reach the people affected.

"When such an earthquake impacts a developed country like Japan, our concern also turns to countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which might not have the same resources," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for World Vision.

Wolff said her agency is helping people on the ground in Japan and teaming up to help others in countries along the path of the tsunami.

The tsunami could cause damage "along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," warned the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."

Tsunamis are a series of long ocean waves that can last five to 15 minutes and cause extensive flooding in coastal areas. A succession of waves can hit -- often the highest not being the first, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.

The quake was the latest in a series in the region this week.

Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had struck off the same coast, the country's meteorological agency said.

The largest recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the USGS said.

The quake Friday was the fifth-strongest in the world since 1900, the agency said and the most powerful to hit Japan since then.

-- CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html





Holy crap, Magnitude 8.9! I heard that tokyo tower is now bent and that pretty much the entire country was covered with water at one point.

My condolences to those deeply affected by this crisis.

At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway stations, shaken commuters grabbed one another to stay steady as the ground shook. Dazed residents poured into the streets after offices and schools were closed. Children cried.

The quake toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas.

Firefighters battled a fiery blaze at an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.

Oh writer http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/ZeroIchigo/emot-unsmith.gif

Earthquakes seem to be the new fashion in the latest years. They happen all the time, but now they seem to be getting more attention and they are coming with huge impacts. @_@


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80CH_XkpSCE&feature=channel_video_title

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80CH_XkpSCE&feature=channel_video_title

Spoons is in Hokkaido right now, hope she's ok. Haven't received any message from her so far :(

edit: Just learnt she's fine, Hokkaido isn't heavily affected by the quake or the tsunami.

I had just read this on Yahoo! NEWS just now, too. Quite a devastating occurrence. I'm glad people are staying calm (apparently) and are working to get things back on the ground (no pun intended...?)

This confirms why I like to live in Mid-western U.S.

New Zealand, and now Japan... You know... California might be next.

I just knew this from school today (the day that it happened) and I feel really bad for them. I hope they're going to be okay soon.

Didn't California already get hit by some really minor tsunami or am I wrong? Cause I heard it from one of my teacher.

Earthquakes seem to be the new fashion in the latest years. They happen all the time, but now they seem to be getting more attention and they are coming with huge impacts. @_@


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80CH_XkpSCE&feature=channel_video_title

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80CH_XkpSCE&feature=channel_video_title

The part where the black stuff's crawling all over reminds me of the Holy Grail...

Spoons is in Hokkaido right now, hope she's ok. Haven't received any message from her so far :(

edit: Just learnt she's fine, Hokkaido isn't heavily affected by the quake or the tsunami.
Yeah, she said she was ok on facebook, glad she's ok!

That al jazeera footage is crazy. People had no warning.. This is cool though. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/world/asia/12codes.html?_r=3&hp 8.9 is a CRAZY powerful earthquake; if it happened anywhere else the death toll would have been in the thousands.

I saw it while it was happening live. Crazy. To see people get swept up and know that they're screwed takes a few seconds to register.

I changed the name of the thread btw, Tokyo is not really the centre of things in this case, and by now it's commonly known as the 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami.

And btw, am I the only one who thinks it's really stupid to build nuclear powerplants in an area that's prone to earthquakes?

^ Well, there are safety measures for those scenarios. There are Nuclear power plants in Southern California and it exceeds earthquake procedures and safety.

Looks like Japan moved 8 feet and the earth's axis moved 4 inches.

[source (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html)]

Replying to Neko and xpeed:

Yeah, the reactors were all scrammed properly, it's just the decay heat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scram#Decay_heat) causing an emergency situation of what could lead to potential containment problems. Even after cessation of nuclear fission, the reactor cores have to be cooled for a number of days, or decay heat will cause temperatures/pressures to exceed design limits.

More Info (http://theenergycollective.com/nathantemple/53384/how-shutdown-and-core-cooling-japanese-reactors-likely-functions)


And btw, am I the only one who thinks it's really stupid to build nuclear power plants in an area that's prone to earthquakes?
All of Japan is seismically active. (http://www.reuters.com/article/interactive/idUSTRE72D6UC20110314?view=large&type=worldNews) To have no nuclear reactors in an earthquake zone would mean no reactors at all in Japan. It's too economically lucrative for them to let that happen. Also, they'd have to increase the usage of other fossil fuels to make up for the loss of power from doing away with all nuclear plants, at least in the short term. Over the long-term, they'd obviously want to switch to renewable sources, but there are only so many places you can put things like solar panels and wind turbines in a country the size of Japan. They don't have vast swaths of plains or deserts like the US.

Looks like Japan moved 8 feet and the earth's axis moved 4 inches.

[source (http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html)]

Thanks for the share! I wonder if these 4 inches are the reasons of me feeling this day different, lol.

I checked the Japaneses I have spoke in the past and all of them are fine!

Still it is sad about all these others that died.

Oh no Most Anime is from Japan
(states the obvious)

Oh yeah, hundreds of people died, thousands have lost their home and you're worried about your precious anime.

Douche -_-

Oh no Most Anime is from Japan
(states the obvious)

If you really want to know, then most of the voice actors, companies, etc. are A OK. So there's really no need to worry about it. Here's the proof:

http://news.deviantart.com/article/145825/
http://oneirosia.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/japan-earthquake-2011-mangaka-and-celebrities-confirmed-safe/

I guess all we can do is pray for the people in Japan... Man. I feel really bad about them. I hope my great uncle is okay. He lives in Japan. :(

EDIT: We just got a call from his wife today and told us that they're okay. *Whew*

News said that over 10,000 people are still unaccounted for, one whole town lost contact, and many more bodies are still being found. The nuclear power plant might have a meltdown if reactor 4 doesn't cool down soon.

Thanks for the link, M. Nice to know the death toll is so low, considering the ridiculous size of the earthquake.
Hurray for preparation and science!

Condolences to the unlucky ones. =(

Oh yeah, hundreds of people died, thousands have lost their home and you're worried about your precious anime.

Douche -_-

DUde
Just trying to be a bit more optimistic
No need to snap

And btw, am I the only one who thinks it's really stupid to build nuclear powerplants in an area that's prone to earthquakes?

This was actually my first thought about the nuclear power plants that exploded.

And I heard the magnitude of the earthquake has been changed to 9.0.

Huh. That's weird. Why change it, though? From 8.9 to... 9.0.... Nevermind. =_=

It's because there are three seismogram needed for x, y, and z axis. Not only that sometimes the magnitude is so huge that the graph goes off the chart so sometimes there is no clear reading. I'm currently in a geology class so I'm learning quite a lot about the jolt in Japan.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/aboot/b27e02fc_eFYYe.jpg

Wow, some people are really stupid.

I guess hurricane Katrina was payback for two nukes on civilian targets then? :mellow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/aboot/b27e02fc_eFYYe.jpg

Wow, some people are really stupid.

I guess hurricane Katrina was payback for two nukes on civilian targets then? :mellow:

Nah, because God work is amazing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcikNCsilHk). Sometimes I really do feel as though cruel and unusual punishment should be enlisted towards people like this. Then again, many bad things are already heading her way as 4chan caught wind of this video and did their thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/aboot/b27e02fc_eFYYe.jpg

Wow, some people are really stupid.

I guess hurricane Katrina was payback for two nukes on civilian targets then? :mellow:

Wow... That is so ridiculous.

Oh yeah, bring up the past when those people are hit with something like that.

All that mess would end if we blew everything up...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/aboot/b27e02fc_eFYYe.jpg

Wow, some people are really stupid.

I guess hurricane Katrina was payback for two nukes on civilian targets then? :mellow:
I've seen similar comments in other places (I'm not a frequent visitor to Facebook). Some people just don't know how to separate the past from the present.

It's obviously wrong to hold a person, or a group of people, responsible for what their ancestors may or may not have done.


Just as myself and modern Americans are not guilty for the atomic bombings or firebombings, the present Japanese are not guilty of the attack on Pearl Harbor or the massacre at Nanjing. Every country commits crimes over time, and to the people who perpetrated those wrongs, shame on them, but do not condemn their descendants as well. The descendants did not pull the trigger, did not swing the sword, did not drop the bombs.

Ridiculous nonsense.

Why do you guys post things like this? http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6626/emotsmith.gif

http://www.google.com/search?tbs=mbl%3A1&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=719&q=pearl+harbor&btnG=Search

those people on facebook are bunch of douchebags. What happened to Japan today is irrelevant to Pearl Harbor. Get over it! This is a natural disaster and no country ever deserves such devastation. I bet most of those people don't even have a respectable job or even a job at all. Bunch of asshats.

Don't worry guys, those facebook people are just worthless trash. Most people are rooting for Japan. Nobody on my wall has been anything but sympathetic for the Japanese.
On a much happier note: http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/03/17/operation-tomodachi-us-military-too-cool/ (banners are nsfw)
Made me smile about my country, after some of the retarded "Pearl Harbor lol!" people made me frown. =D
It's nice to know that at least one other country thinks the American military is cool, hahah. The Japanese comments are hilarious and awesome. XD

“As expected of our master! Japan will remain by your side as your Pochi forever!”

Waan~

What's a pochi, anyway? I was wondering about that...

What's a pochi, anyway? I was wondering about that...
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2746/photopochistill.jpg

Pochi lost his master during the earthquake and needs your charity.

Why do you guys post things like this? http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/6626/emotsmith.gif

Yes, it's no fun to hear people of my own country say things like that. -.-

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/aboot/b27e02fc_eFYYe.jpg

Wow, some people are really stupid.

I guess hurricane Katrina was payback for two nukes on civilian targets then? :mellow:

Some of those people are crazy. It's better to forget and look toward the present and future rather than cling to the past. :/

To me, I have nothing against people who say those things IF they were there at the time. If you are one of the people who was forced to burn your entire family in Manchuria or you watched your friends get blown up in pearle harbor, by all means hate japan. No one can say anything against you no matter what you say about them. but when a 16year old kid who probably only knows pearle harbor by name and the movie starts bitching about it, it just become racism.:\

To me, I have nothing against people who say those things IF they were there at the time. If you are one of the people who was forced to burn your entire family in Manchuria or you watched your friends get blown up in pearle harbor, by all means hate japan. No one can say anything against you no matter what you say about them. but when a 16year old kid who probably only knows pearle harbor by name and the movie starts bitching about it, it just become racism.:\
That sort of makes sense. It's natural for a victim to despise their assailant, at least for some time after the attack, but I think it's even better, if the victim can come to forgive, after a certain period of time, whether months, years, decades, or whatever the victim decides. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that crimes should go unpunished... I still believe in criminals being on the receiving end of justice, but I just don't believe in perpetual hatred and unforgiveness, especially if the criminal is genuinely contrite and apologetic towards the victim at a later time.


by all means hate japan
Hmm, I don't know. For one thing, not all Japanese were involved in atrocities. It's one thing to hate the perpetrators, but to also hate anyone who is related to them, or shares their nationality or ethnicity, I think is quite wrong. I feel that it oversimplifies issues of guilt and lumps in otherwise innocent people with criminals. In some cases, the parents and teachers, government leaders, and superior officers, are guilty too, because they helped shape and indoctrinate the people who commit crimes, but not all relatives are guilty. Especially not children and descendants who never lifted a finger against anyone else.

To me, I have nothing against people who say those things IF they were there at the time. If you are one of the people who was forced to burn your entire family in Manchuria or you watched your friends get blown up in pearle harbor, by all means hate japan. No one can say anything against you no matter what you say about them. but when a 16year old kid who probably only knows pearle harbor by name and the movie starts bitching about it, it just become racism.:\
Nope, hating a country because of what one small group of people in it did like seventy years ago is stupid, no matter who you are. Just because some people have an understandable reason for being stupid doesn't mean they aren't stupid. Wishing death on random innocent people because of what their great great grandparents did is retarded, no matter what your circumstances.
If a black person mugs me tomorrow, does that give me the right to hate all black people? That's obviously illogical, right?

*groans*

*groans*Yeah... I know this is a disheartening subject, and off-topic, but... I think it's important to discuss things like this. After all, if no one ever tries to examine why we have people thinking along the lines of "They deserved it because of Pearl Harbor", then we're never going to have a method of fixing such things, and stuff like that will keep happening. =/



Anyway, I think stuff like this is a learned behavior, and that they weren't born with hatred towards Japanese. Really, no one is born hating anyone. People start to hate when they are harmed and victimized by others, or when they are taught by their peers and elders, or literature, to hate others, or when they fear others who happen to look different, or speak a different language.

They probably wouldn't be hating the Japanese if they themselves had been born in Japan as Japanese, and I think they would do well to recognize that.

*groans*

*groans*
Man, that added a lot to the conversation! Thanks for stopping by!

For some good news: It seems that the list of countries, organizations/corporations, and people who have donated to help the Japanese is enormous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_response_to_the_2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_eart hquake_and_tsunami). They're going to end up with more money than they know what to do with at this rate. =D

It's so cool to see all the folks around the world willing to chip in. Especially South Korea and China, which still have some lingering issues with Japan. It's so awesome that people can put all that aside though. Empathy really does exist. =)

old news kinda, but:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Workers-Are-Heroes-After-Risking-Own-Lives-To-Avert-Meltdown-In-Japan/Article/201103315954904?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article _Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15954904_Fukushima_Nuclear_Plant_Worke rs_Are_Heroes_After_Risking_Own_Lives_To_Avert_Mel tdown_In_Japan_
:(

old news kinda, but:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Workers-Are-Heroes-After-Risking-Own-Lives-To-Avert-Meltdown-In-Japan/Article/201103315954904?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article _Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15954904_Fukushima_Nuclear_Plant_Worke rs_Are_Heroes_After_Risking_Own_Lives_To_Avert_Mel tdown_In_Japan_
:(

I solute them!

yeah they are frickin heroes, but poor souls too
i´m kind of a politician and i gotta say that most of em really are poor basterds with no job/income at all. driven there by society - after all still heroes
dont wanna be all critic n all, but japan should at least make their families rich instead of only calling em samurai and being gladful s1 dares goin there i think......

Kind of a politician? How does that work?

And the people working at Fukushima aren't jobless people who were driven there, they already worked at the nuclear plant or at least for Tepco.

yeah they are frickin heroes, but poor souls too
i´m kind of a politician and i gotta say that most of em really are poor basterds with no job/income at all. driven there by society - after all still heroes
dont wanna be all critic n all, but japan should at least make their families rich instead of only calling em samurai and being gladful s1 dares goin there i think......

Wait, what? What are you talking about? Those are actual workers for the plant and the power company. The workers "volunteered" to go and help out to further reduce the risks of a meltdown and future dangers to the population. Some even said their goodbyes to their families knowing they won't go back home alive. Get your facts straight before criticizing.

Not sure about this, but didn't yesterday (in my place) in Japan, they had another earthquake? My teacher said it was a 7.2 quake this time. (Please don't let it be true... I'm so freakin' worried about my aunt now! My uncle's cool now and went to a safer area, but my aunt is there right now and-)

Yep. Strongest aftershock since the Sendai earthquake.

and the scientists are still anticipating a 8.0 aftershock.

8.0? Huh... And I thought it was a 7.2 aftershock then. -.-''

whoa... 8.0

all in japan?

And it just happened... my friend from Japan just called me and said he was safe.
7.1 according to the Japanese news minutes after the shock.

It's currently 7:35pm GMT +10

He said it happened about 20 minutes ago. So do the math.

Jesus Christ. Japan needs to start another war with China and take back some land that *isn't* intent on destroying them. How's the reactor situation, anyway? Heard the radiation right around the plant is at Chernobyl levels now? Is that true, or just news slant bullshit?

^ They recently raised the level to the highest now. This clearly shows the world how Japan's politics work. Bunch of idiots running the show basically.

^ They recently raised the level to the highest now. This clearly shows the world how Japan's politics work. Bunch of idiots running the show basically.

Fixed

I am Politics, and so can You!

Fixed

How is that fixed? Clearly you haven't read news about Japan's political tourney these past few months dating even back from last year? Then again, what else is new around the world?

My point is, idiots are running the show around the world, not just in Japan.

xpeed didn't get it :(

Yeah, sorry, I'm internet illiterate.