A magnitude-8.9 tremor, the most powerful Japan has ever recorded, struck roughly 400 kilometers northeast of Tokyo on Friday afternoon, ranking among the five strongest earthquakes globally since 1900. The violent shaking lasted about two minutes and was felt as far away as Beijing.
Walls of water reaching 10 meters swept through coastal communities near Sendai, destroying hundreds of homes, carrying vessels inland, and flooding Sendai airport's runway. At least 116 people were confirmed dead or unaccounted for.
Tokyo suffered widespread power outages affecting four million homes, subway shutdowns, and a roof collapse at a graduation hall. Authorities declared an atomic emergency after fire broke out at a turbine building in Onagawa, though no radiation leaks were detected. Tsunami warnings extended across the Pacific, reaching Hawaii and South America.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2011, in its own words.