Sunday May 27, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

M7.0 quake rocks Tokyo, eastern Japan; no danger of tsunami

National Jan. 01, 2012 - 03:30PM JST ( 52 )

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52 Comments

0

spudmanreincarnatedJan. 01, 2012 - 02:51PM JST

Felt it here in Aomori, hope everyone is okay, happy new years y'all.
3

Antonios_MJan. 01, 2012 - 03:02PM JST

It was a really strong one. We shaked a lot here in Chiba but Japan has survived through much stronger ones.
0

wanderlustJan. 01, 2012 - 03:15PM JST

Bit of a "window rattler" in downtown Kanagawa, monitors shook across the table, but the cats never moved!

Anyone noticed a trend of the quakes moving southwards recently? Last few months they've moved from Fukushima coast down to Chiba coast, and now further down towards the Marianas. Let's hope that they don't turn towards Tokai...
0

smithinjapanJan. 01, 2012 - 03:17PM JST

Sheesh! Good thing it was so far off and deep. Not a very good sign for the new year, but glad everyone seems okay.
1

Samantha Zoe AsoJan. 01, 2012 - 03:26PM JST

Come on Mother NTure! It's New Year's Day! Please give Japan a break!

Felt it here in Tokyo! Thought the Chrimbo tree had had too much New year sake!
1

Nasser Saad AlHelalJan. 01, 2012 - 03:26PM JST

We felt this earth quick here in Omotosando-Tokyo where everything is ok " Thanks God".
1

globalwatcherJan. 01, 2012 - 03:45PM JST

Gee Many Christmas, not on New Years Day! Give Japanese people a break!

I am glad to learn nobody got injured. I was watching Time Square New Years Eve Celebratons on TV when I saw this on JT.

Pray for Japan
1

DisillusionedJan. 01, 2012 - 03:52PM JST

A bit of a new year wake up call! It is a good new year reminder to check your earthquake survival kit. I was at the door ready to go with my earthquake kit in hand.
-2

MaboDofuIsSpicyJan. 01, 2012 - 03:53PM JST

I held on to my flat screen tv. I am not into furniture so that was the only worry.
1

Yuki Akita CanelaJan. 01, 2012 - 03:57PM JST

I was sleeping when it hit.. I didn't know if to go outside the house in short sleeves of to wait until it passed..I was so sleepy! It seems that a big portion of Japan felt this one.. I'm glad it didn't cause any significant damage.. wow what a way to start the year! :S
1

It"S MEJan. 01, 2012 - 04:20PM JST

Shook us up good in western Tokyo and boy it just didn't seem to want to end. Noticed there was a quake alert just after midnight on the telly.

Welcome to 2012.
0

FazilahJan. 01, 2012 - 04:29PM JST

hope everything will be alright...
-3

LH10Jan. 01, 2012 - 04:55PM JST

WTH! thanks alot mother nature!! no break at all -_-' ganbare nihon!! >.<
-2

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 01, 2012 - 04:58PM JST

I am in west tokyo too i felt nothing!!
0

Geoff GillespieJan. 01, 2012 - 05:04PM JST

Was watching the new Mission Impossible movie when it hit - boy, that was strange.
1

Badge213Jan. 01, 2012 - 05:19PM JST

Things have to be put in perspective beyond the headlines. 7.0 at the epicenter, hundreds of km underground, hundreds of km away from Tokyo. So by the time it hit's Tokyo, it was something like a 4 on the JMA scale (not sure the exact recording).
-5

Nicky WashidaJan. 01, 2012 - 05:26PM JST

Yeah, it was a 4 in Tokyo 23-ku, a 3 out west in the Tama region. It felt quite strong here, but we are kind of high up, so I guess we will feel it more than on the ground? That always seems to be the case.
2

MaximumManJan. 01, 2012 - 05:38PM JST

Im a bit worried about this...it seems very similar to what happened on March 9th, (7.3m) then followed by the 9 on march 11,...a few weeks after the quakes in NZ....seems to be similar pattern again..i would be bracing for another 9 or close to it in the next few days............

Magnitude 7.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN March 09, 2011 •Magnitude 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS March 07, 2011 •Magnitude 6.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION March 06, 2011 •Magnitude 4.7 ARKANSAS February 28, 2011 •Magnitude 6.1 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND February 21, 2011
0

MaboDofuIsSpicyJan. 01, 2012 - 05:46PM JST

It shut down Yurekuru. I always use it and it is good, but this one shut it down.
0

Samantha Zoe AsoJan. 01, 2012 - 06:15PM JST

@ MaximumMan. Similar thought has crossed my mind. Reminded me of March 9th. New Zealand mates concerned too. We cannot tell but we must ALWAYS be prepared. Take care everyone.
-1

Rick KisaJan. 01, 2012 - 06:21PM JST

The new year message here from mother nature is that one of Japan government' s new year resolutions should have been ensuring safety and security of its people from multiple disasters (tsunami, nuclear radiation, infrastructure destruction, etc), by putting ensuring right leadership, allocating adequate resources and developing appropriate policies. Needless to say, mother nature does not seem happy with what has so far been does, and warns, just in case...
-6

HansNFranzJan. 01, 2012 - 06:38PM JST

Oh my, there goes the "I can recognize a pattern in earthquakes" crowd again. So If you really believe your own predictions, why haven't you left, and more importantly, why didn't you predict the 11/3 one, and the Haiti one, etc ? Could it be that you simply like to scare yourself and gullible people on the internet a bit? Put your money where your mouth is and leave the region.
-2

BernieKJan. 01, 2012 - 06:50PM JST

01/02/12 12:12pm will be the big one. Hey, just want to start the new year with a doomsday prediction, unless somebody else has already called my prediction first. Anyways, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management Takeshi Noda will be ready to serve you, but only 10% of you. The rest of you will have to fend for yourself. That's triage for you.
-1

HansNFranzJan. 01, 2012 - 06:52PM JST

I'm quite amused that some people here actually think tectonics, and major natural phenomena would somehow be influenced by man-made culture such as "new year's"...do you guys also think the stars shine especially bright on your wedding night? Or that the weather always turns bad on weekends while clearing up on working days? Come on, you're not a bunch of superstitious grannies yet.
-1

as_the_crow_fliesJan. 01, 2012 - 06:55PM JST

It shut down Yurekuru. I always use it and it is good, but this one shut it down.

What do you mean, Mabodofu-san? I want to believe yurekuru is going to give me reliable warnings, so this is a good test. How does Yurekuru "shut down"? My alarm didn't go off on my phone, but maybe because it was on silent. Tho there was no screen warning. I checked yurekuru a minute or two after the quake and it registered a "saidai shindo" which I took to mean "large earthquake, but no accurate measurements yet." I take it that it's because it's out in the middle of the sea and therefore there are no accurate measurements. Turned on the TV and most programming was uninterrupted! Just the text announcement at the top of the screen, suggesting the epicentre was on land in Ibaraki. As i wanted to know if there was a tsunami warning and I was glued to the TV for a bout 10 mins trying to make sense of it, very confusing! One of those deep sea tsunamis coming in from the south could roar in straight up Tokyo bay, and this epicentre was directly south of Tokyo according to Yurekuru.
2

WilliBJan. 01, 2012 - 07:02PM JST

I was at home when it hit. It was really long and quite noticeable, but no way it was a seven. Here in central Tokyo the strength felt more like a 3 or 4.
-3

MaximumManJan. 01, 2012 - 07:06PM JST

to hansfranz,...i dont live in the region at the moment, i live in perth.australia
-3

Franchesca Miyara YangJan. 01, 2012 - 07:09PM JST

It took us by surprise here in Ibaraki. The house shook badly and some small things fell to the floor but no major damage. Hope everyone is ok. Not a nice way to start the new year though.
0

MaximumManJan. 01, 2012 - 07:15PM JST

epicentre is right here

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/20120101143459391-011428.html
0

MaximumManJan. 01, 2012 - 07:18PM JST

give the last decade has seen 2 of the largest tsunami ever produced ih the last century...and within only 7 years of each other...odds are stacked pretty much in favour of a repeat id say.
-4

CletusJan. 01, 2012 - 07:40PM JST

Bit of a misleading headline. While it was 7 at the epicenter it was only a 3-4 in Tokyo. That said glad to be out of the country atm.
0

Blair HerronJan. 01, 2012 - 07:49PM JST

If you are thinking of getting a new house, maybe you should get AIR SEISMIC ISOLATOR HOUSE (House that floats by air seismic isolator during earthquake, like hovercraft)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXBhhL1s2wI
2

YongYangJan. 01, 2012 - 07:49PM JST

To Ex PM Kan. Well done for INSISTING the nuclear plants be kept off line in Shizuoaka, well done indeed becuase it only needed to be... oh, don't even think it. Happy New Year.
2

smithinjapanJan. 01, 2012 - 08:02PM JST

HansNFranz: "I'm quite amused that some people here actually think tectonics, and major natural phenomena would somehow be influenced by man-made culture such as "new year's"

I don't think anyone seriously entertains the idea that this was Mother Nature giving us a crappy nengajou (otherwise she would have sent one with AKB48 related somehow!), but we do place importance on some days more than others, which is why I'm guessing you had a holiday, and while today means nothing to the universe (or even the other side of the world, depending on time zone!), people are free to say "happy new year" sarcastically or honestly, and right to wonder what kind of year it will be. :)

Oh... and the stars DID shine brighter on my wedding night!
-1

HansNFranzJan. 01, 2012 - 08:03PM JST

repeat of course. the hard part is to say when exactly, where, and how strong. Don't bother though, the brightest scientists haven't found a way yet. If you sure about your superhuman abilities, naybe you should go to MiT and have your brain hooked up to some sensors so mankind can profit from them
0

Jay QueJan. 01, 2012 - 08:42PM JST

Just after stepping out of the shower this afternoon here in Sendagaya Tokyo it was quite apparent, the rolling went on for a good half minute. We only had one hot rice sake after leaving Meiji Jingu for midnight celebrations last night so I certainly knew it was no hangover after-affect... people can get used to these things (provided no tsunami plus plus) but still unnerving.
0

haidogirlJan. 01, 2012 - 09:05PM JST

It was a huge one, cant believe it reached 7.0 again! But inn Tokyo it wasnt a 7.0 right?
-2

Samantha Zoe AsoJan. 01, 2012 - 09:26PM JST

Hansnfranz- I personally don't recognize the pattern in anything! I mean come on, I'd be a rich dudess by now if I could! Today. For some reason just reminded me of March the 9th. Why? I don't know! Am I prepared? To my best ability. I think you do understand if you live here, that folk are still wary after last year. And probably will be for a long time.
2

FoxieJan. 01, 2012 - 09:49PM JST

The strong earthquakes always seem to be happening between 2 and 3 pm. I am glad to hear that nothing bad happened this time to anyone.
2

Andrew MatthewsJan. 02, 2012 - 12:21AM JST

I hope this is a release of pressure, preventing an even larger earthquake in the future. If the gods grant wishes on the new year, then that is my wish.
2

globalwatcherJan. 02, 2012 - 12:41AM JST

I've just heard that Youngstown, OH, got hit by 6.0 magnitude earthquake this morning too. No damage and no injuries reported by CNN. Is this all related?
2

TigersTokyoDomeJan. 02, 2012 - 12:52AM JST

Bit of a misleading headline. While it was 7 at the epicenter it was only a 3-4 in Tokyo. That said glad to be out of the country atm.

Nope. It was a Richter scale 7 (amended to 6.8) but a Japanese Shindo 4 in Tokyo, which is not far off what Tokyo got on 11th March. It was almost as strong as 11th March but nowhere near as long. It was not very nice and considering it was 500 km away and 350 km deep it gave Tokyo a strong old shake.
0

KariHarukaJan. 02, 2012 - 01:33AM JST

So glad it didn't cause any damage or loss of life. Come on mother nature its the new year give us a break ya?!
2

zichiJan. 02, 2012 - 02:26AM JST

Not a good sign for the New Year especially if this was on the Tokai fault line?
1

codomoJan. 02, 2012 - 11:55PM JST

why gods dont allow japanese people. they deserve to have some rest from any disaster and need to be comfortable.
-1

JannettoJan. 03, 2012 - 12:05AM JST

codomo, forget gods, this is mother nature we're dealing with! And why does Nickywashida have 6 thumbs down? Did she offend y'all?
-2

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 03, 2012 - 09:15AM JST

No big deal, just a another small quake, here in Japan they happen night and day, magnitude 3?? 4?? So what!
0

LHommeQuiMentJan. 03, 2012 - 01:33PM JST

Not a good sign for the New Year especially if this was on the Tokai fault line?

This one seems to have a different mechanism.

In March 1984 and April 1984 two deep earthquakes like this one occurred near Torishima. On June 13th 1984 an anomalous seismic event followed in the same region.

The earthquake with a body-wave magnitude m (sub b) = 5.5, which occurred near Tori Shima, Japan, on June 13, 1984, (OT: 2:29:25.3 GMT, 31.448 degrees N, 140.036 degrees E, depth = 10 km, mb = 5.5, M (sub S) = 5.5) is anomalous because of unusually large tsunamis associated with it. At Hachijo Is., 150 km from the epicenter, tsunamis were visually observed with peak-to-peak amplitude of 130 to 150 cm. These tsunamis are disproportionately large for the magnitude of the earthquake.

Source: < http://www.mendeley.com/research/an-anomalous-seismic-event-near-tori-shima-japan-a-possible-magma-injection-event/>

On February 26th 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake with a focal depth of 25 km happened in the same region and caused very small tsunami waves in southern Okinawa islands.

This one was very deep, near the bottom of earth's upper mantle and did not cause any tsunami waves. There might be a submarine volcanic activity in this region.
2

Blair HerronJan. 03, 2012 - 03:30PM JST

Elbuda-chan,

Magnitude and Shindo are two different things. It was Magnitude 7 & Shindo 3~4. Magnitude is a power of the earthquake in the epicenter. So if it was 7, it's 7. Shindo is how shaky it was in certain places. Chiyoda-ku Otemachi was 4, Chiyoda-ku Kojimachi was 3, Ota-ku Kamata was 2... Japanese media almost never use Magnitude but use Shindo. Foreign media almost never use Shindo but use Magnitude. Confusing... huh? Stay safe :)
-2

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 03, 2012 - 10:05PM JST

Thanks but this was no March 11th type of quake!! Tokyo max was shindo 3 and 4 nothing to what we had back in March of last year!!
-2

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 03, 2012 - 10:08PM JST

Time to change these misleading headlines because if Tokyo were really hit by say a shindo 7 or above we would be in a whole lot of trouble which we are not thanks to the gods!
0

yaguraJan. 04, 2012 - 04:37PM JST

Elbuda MexicanoJAN. 03, 2012 - 10:08PM JST Time to change these misleading headlines because if Tokyo were really hit by say a shindo 7 or above we would be in a whole lot of trouble which we are not thanks to the gods!

It's not misleading. You are just confusing two different measuring systems. The 'Richter magnitude scale' and the Japanese 'Shindou' scale measure two different things with respect to earthquakes. The earthquake referred to in this article was a M7.0 not a 震度7.0.

For perspective, the March 11 quake was a M9.0 (震度7), the Great Kanto quake was a M7.9, the Hanshin was a M7.0, the Christchurch quake was a M6.3.