Tokyo hit by 8.9 earthquake...Triggers massive Tsunami

Tokyo was on Friday rocked by a strong earthquake, triggering a massive tsunami as high as 10 metres swamping the northeast coastal region. Japan's weather agency said that the earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and was centered in northeastern Japan. The tremor's scale was later upgraded to 8.8, and further to 8.9. That made the quake the fifth biggest in the world since 1900, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).



The temblor struck at 2:46 p.m. local time and was centered near the east coast of Honshu, about 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, according a revised reading put out by the USGS. The tremor swayed buildings in Tokyo for several minutes and sent people scurrying onto the streets.

Japan's yen and Nikkei Stock Average slid after the earthquake news. The Nikkei closed down 1.72% at 10,254 after being as high as 10,378. The yen slid versus all 16 of its most-traded counterparts, falling to its lowest level in two weeks against the dollar.

The earthquake lasted three minutes, according to reports, but felt like five. Several quakes have hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday, March 9th. The earthquake's magnitude surpassed the 7.9 registered in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in Tokyo and its vicinity, which killed more than 140,000 people.

Meanwhile, Japan's prime minister said that there were no reports of radioactive material leaks after quake, tsunami. The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later.

Officials were trying to assess possible damage from the quake but had no immediate details. Reports said dozens of people were killed while hundreds more could be affected by the unprecedented disaster.

Tokyo’s Narita airport shut down, Kyodo News reported. Haneda, the capital’s other main airport, was also closed, NHK said.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said troops were being sent to help in the affected areas. "We have already had offers of help from foreign countries, we are prepared to ask for relief in the future," he added.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said that a tsunami warning was in effect for a large swath of the Pacific. A tsunami warning was in effect for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas. A tsunami watch was issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Hawaii.

Tsunami warning was extended to the entire US West Coast, according to reports. The Red Cross warned that the tsunami wave caused by the quake is currently higher than some Pacific islands and could go right over them.

In the Philippines, the government strongly urged residents of the country's Pacific coast to "go farther inland" because of a tsunami threat. In Russia's Far East, some 11,000 people have been evacuated from areas that could be affected by the tsunami, including the Kuril islands and Sakhalin island