Strong quake jolts central Japan, injuring at least 87

Tuesday 11th August, 11:30 AM JST

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amerijap at 03:40 AM JST - 12th August

causing two nuclear reactors to automatically shut down.

It's kind of scary... The last thing people want to see is the nightmare like the Three-Mile Island in 1981.
Bento at 04:52 AM JST - 12th August

Thanks Himajin, glad they escaped unharmed, perhaps you could buy your dog a more conveniently sized helmet for next time.
Sammi33 at 06:38 AM JST - 12th August

I woke up and then decided to turn on the TV, and every channel was doing major coverage of the quake and all "damage" exclusively until about 8:30. It was ridiculous. The damage was minimal and most of the injuries were just falling objects that weren't secured properly. It wasn't the huge quake they were trying to make it into in the media.
Farmboy at 07:43 AM JST - 12th August

I think Japan has provided some English support for foreigners in emergencies as a matter of courtesy. They don't whine about doing it either, like some do when providing translations in the US. It certainly isn't a responsibility, but it is appreciated. There are also some warnings with pictures, as people have suggested.

Really, though, there is not much warning for an earthquake,even with the new system, and basic preparation for a seismic event is pretty much the same wherever you go. There is some time to prepare for storms, but that info is usually available online in other languages from other countries.

In terms of support in emergencies, I don't think Japan is bad at all compared to other countries.
Apsara at 08:24 AM JST - 12th August

It wasn't the huge quake they were trying to make it into in the media.

It's not that they are trying to "make it into a huge quake"- they are providing a public service by giving information about the actual extent of it, as that information comes in. If the damage wasn't that bad, people need to know that as well, to have peace of mind, especially if they have friends/relatives in the area. What if they didn't give much information about it? People would be complaining that insufficient information was provided.
Himajin at 08:25 AM JST - 12th August

It wasn't the huge quake they were trying to make it into in the media.

You'll sing a different tune when a 6.6 comes your way.

An expert on the BBC said this may be the prelude to the "big" one that may happen any day or maybe 20 years, nobody really knows.

The Tokai Jishin is triggered by the Eurasian plate catching on the Philippine plate and then snapping off it. The last one was 1854, it's a 100-150 year cycle. This quake originated deep in the Philippine plate alone, it is not the mechanism by which the Tokai occurs.

Down here there was a Nankai in 1946, another one is due within about 50 years or so.
Antonios_M at 09:34 AM JST - 12th August

God bless the people living here if a magnitude of 8 or higher such as the Great Tokai earthquake occurs. I wonder if even Japan would be prepared for such a terrific shake.
Himajin at 09:48 AM JST - 12th August

After Kobe, I can't imagine how horrible it could be.
Loki520 at 06:00 PM JST - 12th August

Don't need alerts in other languages.

When you notice the Japanese in full-panic-mode, you'll know something is up.
sensei258 at 06:52 PM JST - 12th August

English alerts? You need somebody to tell you in English that your house is rocking back and forth? Check the Japan Meteorological Agency Web page. It has up-to-date earthquake information, as well as tsunami alerts etc. In English
Himajin at 06:44 AM JST - 13th August

I have several 1.5 liter bottles of water and some bandaids. What else do I need?

A radio, a flashlight (get a Maglight if you live near a Costco)kairo (hot packs)and a foil blanket in case if happens in winter. Extra prescription meds or an extra inhaler if you need one*. I keep shinku pack sekihan (buy it by the case, we eat it as it comes up to code)in the pantry. Crackers and things like that. Keeping all your important papers in one place also helps you grab them and run faster.

*I worked in a clinic when the Kobe quake hit. We went downtown the next day and loaded all the charts and the whole drug room into a bunch of cars, posted the doc's mobile number on the front of the building and set one room up in his house to run it out of. Even so, it took 2-3 days for us to start getting prescriptions filled and out (going to the hinanjyou to distribute them, mailing to those far away). It could take up to a week to get your meds. Anyone on something like Prednisone or some sleeping pill you can't quit in a day, or asthma meds should keep a few days' supply, as hospitals are swamped with the injured.
Himajin at 06:45 AM JST - 13th August

I have a mens eyebrow shaving kit and a half-eaten slightly lukewarm sausage-on-a-stick that I bought in Sunkus

You're all set! ROFL
Cicada at 09:54 PM JST - 13th August

My opinion is that it's a foreshock to the much bigger one that will happen within a year or two. I bases this on various precursors such as extreme levels of ions measured at Kanagawa station off and on for several years (including recently, so they will probably claim to have predicted this quake, but in reality the levels they have measured are way too high and too many to be explained by this one quake). There have been a series of unexplained events such as the incredible electric surge in the Tokyo subway system a couple of years ago (it disappeared from the news, and no explanation was ever made for it). And so on. So my guess of within a year or two is because I think such precursors could be intermediate-term, but unlikely to be long-term indicators.

As for the official announcement that recent quake was "unrelated" to the expected huge Tokai quake -- well, they only mean that it did not occur exactly on the subduction fault, only nearby the subduction fault. But as some posters have noted, no one really knows that it is or is not related. They also have not observed actual creeping land movement, which they guess will give them some time for a warning (see the official website).

Still, this quake could be a foreshock to an M8 Tokai quake or even a foreshock to another similar M7 "unrelated" quake. Look in history, and you will see that even sometimes there are series of large quakes (like Niigata in 2004). Furthermore, even if they thought it was related, there is the likelyhood no consensus is reached on to tell the public about it anyway. Always someone on the committee will oppose it, because there are no easy measures that can be taken and no matter what they end up looking bad. So those official "don't worry" announcements are not too reassuring.
Redeemed at 02:03 AM JST - 14th August

Tokai quake vs. San Andreas fault quake? Which one will strike first? they both will be big when and if the come.
Klein2 at 06:39 PM JST - 17th August

"Just out of interest, does anybody else experience the sensation of almost always waking up immediately before a tremor hits? I don't know what it is, but for some reason I almost always wake up immediately be the first shock waves."

Timorborder Either you have magical mystical powers or you make the mistaken assumption that the first tremor of the quake is the first you feel when you awaken. It is much more likely that a mini tremor wakes you up, then a big one hits. That pattern has occurred often in recent quakes, I think. All you can do is consider that possibility because you would have no way of proving it to disproving it.

Cicada. Ions. Electricity. Quite an opinion you have there.