Japan Tsunami and Earthquake – Biggest in Japanese History

Biggest Tsunami and Earthquake in Japan

An earthquake struck 250 miles northeast of Tokyo on Friday 11 March 2011 which creates an earthquake of magnitude-8.9. It is a biggest tsunami of Japanese earthquake history of about 150 years. It killed thousands of people and produces huge destruction to the property, it swept away ships, cars and homes. It also created many fire accidents in various cities of Japan.

The temblor, which occurred 15 miles below the surface, caused a 23-foot tsunami that rolled through coastal areas in Fukushima Prefecture, and a 13-foot tsunami in nearby Iwate Prefecture. Four other northern districts were also hit with similar-sized waves.

In Onahama (a city 270 kilometers northeast of Tokyo) the area around a nuclear power plant was evacuated after the reactor’s cooling system failed. However, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a press conference that no radiation leaks had been detected at Japan's nuclear power stations.

Tsunami which has started from Japan, Asian Pacific has alarmed many other coastal regions; South America, Canada, Alaska, the entire US West coast and the Hawaii. Even for a country accustomed to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions.

What is Tsunami?

Tsunami is a word of Japanese language which means harbor/tidal wave originated by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in large lakes.

Use of Tsunami as a Weapon

According to Wikipedia “There have been studies and at least one attempt to create tsunami waves as a weapon. In World War II, the army of New Zealand tried with explosives to create small tsunamis in the area of today's Shakespeare Regional Park; the attempt failed”