8.8 ! holy tolody , good that it was centered deep and at least some distance from Tokyo (although 250 miles is not a lot), but thank God it was deep. IF it was a shallow quake, it could have been the Big One Tokyo has been waiting for.
[quote=“Japan Times”]Powerful quake rock northern Japan
Kyodo News
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 rocked northeastern Japan on Friday, measuring the highest level intensity of 7 [color=#0000FF]on the Japanese seismic scale[/color], in Miyagi Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Local police said many people were injured in the 2:46 p.m. quake, with reports of fires coming not only from the prefectural capital of Sendai but also from Tokyo, some 300 kilometers from Sendai, where a prolonged and powerful temblor was also felt.
The Metropolitan Police Department said many people were injured when part of the Kudan Kaikan hall in Chiyoda Ward in central Tokyo collapsed.
The agency issued a rare warning of huge tsunami for the Pacific coastal region including Iwate Prefecture. Public broadcaster NHK said a large number of cars were washed away into the sea when a tsunami hit the Kamaishi port in Iwate Prefecture.
In Kyodo News’ Sendai office, part of the ceiling collapsed and bookshelves and office equipment toppled over.
Fires occurred across a wide area, including at an ironworks in Chiba Prefecture.
Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture automatically halted operations following the quake. Its operator, Tohoku Electric Power Co., was checking whether any damage was caused.
A major blackout occurred across a wide area of northeastern Japan.
The quake affected the nation’s key transportation systems, including Narita airport, which shut its runways for safety checks.[/quote]