8.9 quake strikes Japan, triggers tsunami

Japanese television is showing horrific pictures of a wall of water swallowing everything in its path following a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan.

The quake has triggered a tsunami already that's washing away cars and houses inland in the north-east of the country.

A 10-metre tsunami warning has been extended for the coast in the region.

The tsunami warning was issued to most of the Pacific coast of the main island of Honshu, broadcaster NHK reported. People are being told to get to higher ground.

The quake was initially listed as 7.9 magnitude, then upgraded to 8.8, then 8.9 by US Geological Survey. A series of aftershocks followed including one of around 7 magnitude.

The epicentre of the quake is believed to be in the north of Japan, in the Honshu area.

The quake caused buildings to shake in the capital Tokyo, triggering at least one building fire, NHK television and witnesses reported.

The BBC is reporting it as a "mega-quake" and says there are many people injured.

Narita airport, Tokyo's main airport, has been closed. A number of people are believed to have been injured during a graduation ceremony in Tokyo when a roof collapsed.

The public broadcaster showed black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country have been halted.

NHK said a tsunami of 50 cm had already hit Japan's northern coast but the quake was big enough to cause a massive tsunami according to one expert talking to the BBC.

Television showed cars bobbing in water alongside fishing boats.

"The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks," Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said.

"It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago."

The US Geological Survey verified a magnitude of 8.8 at depth of 24.3kms and located the quake 130.3kms east of Sendai, Honshu. The stock market extended its losses after the quake.

Japan's northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

There are believed to be 3500 New Zealanders in Japan, and 1600 in Tokyo.

Civil Defence in New Zealand says a tsunami is possible in New Zealand, but it is still monitoring the situation and it would be 11 hours away.

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http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/8-quake-jolts-japan-triggers-tsunami-4058622

Tsunami warning for Japan after 7.4 quake

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 has struck in the Pacific Ocean, triggering a tsunami warning off the southern coast of Japan.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the quake occurred about 80 miles off the southern coast of Chichi Island in the Pacific Ocean. The offshore quake struck at around 2:20 a.m. local time.

The U.S. Geological Survey also put the quake's magnitude at 7.4.

The Japanese agency issued a tsunami alert of up to 6 feet for nearby islands and warnings of milder tsunami for the southern coasts on the main Japanese island.

A minor swelling of waves of about 1 foot was observed on the island's shorelines about 40 minutes after the quake, the agency said. The island is about 600 miles south of Tokyo.

The agency later downgraded the tsunami alert on the island to a warning and said only smaller waves of up to 1.5 feet were predicted. But the agency's seismology official Hirofumi Yokoyama said island residents should use caution for "several more hours'' given the size of the quake's magnitude.

There was no immediate report of any damage or injuries.

"It shook quite violently. I'm sure everyone was scared,'' said Kenji Komura, principal at a high school on the island. He rushed to school, where about 20 students gathered to take refuge. Despite the shaking, nothing fell on the floor or got damaged at school, Komura said.

About 170 people evacuated to several community centers and school buildings on the Chichi and nearby Haha islands, public broadcaster NHK said. Tomoo Yamawaki, a fisheries cooperative official on the Chichi island, said he has observed no significant swelling of the waves so far.

"We've taken all fishing boats on the island off coast to protect them from the tsunami,'' said Yamawaki, who is in charge of community tsunami broadcast, told NHK. "We haven't observed any significant change in the waves, but we urge all residents to immediately evacuate to a safer place.''

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.

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http://www.npr.org/2010/12/21/132242941/strong-earthquake-near-japan-triggers-tsunami-warning