Hundreds of people are dead after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Japan, triggering a devastating 10-metre-high tsunami along parts of the country's northeastern coastline.
The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday afternoon local time, creating gigantic waves which swept away cars, boats, homes and people as the surging water overwhelmed coastal barriers.
Widespread fires burned out of control and Japan's nuclear industry was on alert as reactors shut down automatically as a safety precaution.
Millions of people are reported to be without electricity, airports are closed and public transport in Tokyo and other cities has come to a halt as Japan reels amid the twin devastations.
Police said 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai where hundreds of buildings have collapsed. Japan's NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned.
Police said another 88 were confirmed killed and 349 were missing.
Thousands of people living near a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture were ordered to evacuate after the reactor developing a cooling fault. Officials said the move was a precaution and there was no evidence of leaking radiation.
Meanwhile, countries around the Pacific basin are on tsunami alert amid warnings that a wall of water could completely wash over low-lying islands.
Ship swept away
Footage on NHK showed pictures of major tsunami damage in the north, with buildings being inundated by waves of water in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture.
A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami, Kyodo news agency reported.
The initial quake at 2:46pm was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later.
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the central and mountanous part of Japan early on Saturday.
Japan, which sits on the highly active "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim, is one of the most earthquake-ready nations in the world.
Many of its buildings are considered quake-proof while emergency services, citizens and schoolchildren regularly participate in earthquake drills.
"Japan is very well equipped to deal both with the initial tremors caused by an earthquake: buildings are systematically built with allowances for sway so that they are less likely to fall down," said Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett.
"Also coastal cities have long had tsunami protection measures in place."
PM address
Japan's prime minister addressed the nation after the earthquake, saying major damage had been done but that help is on the way.
In a televised address, Naoto Kan said the government was making "every effort possible" to minimise damage.
"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," he said.
"Some of the nuclear power plants in the region have automatically shut down, but there is no leakage of radioactive materials to the environment."
Shortly after the quake struck, the tsunami hit Sendai airport in the north-east.
The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday afternoon local time, creating gigantic waves which swept away cars, boats, homes and people as the surging water overwhelmed coastal barriers.
Widespread fires burned out of control and Japan's nuclear industry was on alert as reactors shut down automatically as a safety precaution.
Millions of people are reported to be without electricity, airports are closed and public transport in Tokyo and other cities has come to a halt as Japan reels amid the twin devastations.
Police said 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai where hundreds of buildings have collapsed. Japan's NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned.
Police said another 88 were confirmed killed and 349 were missing.
Thousands of people living near a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture were ordered to evacuate after the reactor developing a cooling fault. Officials said the move was a precaution and there was no evidence of leaking radiation.
Meanwhile, countries around the Pacific basin are on tsunami alert amid warnings that a wall of water could completely wash over low-lying islands.
Ship swept away
Footage on NHK showed pictures of major tsunami damage in the north, with buildings being inundated by waves of water in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture.
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The initial quake at 2:46pm was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later.
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the central and mountanous part of Japan early on Saturday.
Japan, which sits on the highly active "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim, is one of the most earthquake-ready nations in the world.
Many of its buildings are considered quake-proof while emergency services, citizens and schoolchildren regularly participate in earthquake drills.
"Japan is very well equipped to deal both with the initial tremors caused by an earthquake: buildings are systematically built with allowances for sway so that they are less likely to fall down," said Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett.
"Also coastal cities have long had tsunami protection measures in place."
PM address
Japan's prime minister addressed the nation after the earthquake, saying major damage had been done but that help is on the way.
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"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," he said.
"Some of the nuclear power plants in the region have automatically shut down, but there is no leakage of radioactive materials to the environment."
Shortly after the quake struck, the tsunami hit Sendai airport in the north-east.
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