Strong earthquake hits eastern Japan, shakes Tokyo

[yuiyoshida]

Source: The Economic Times

TOKYO: A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan today, rocking buildings in Tokyo, seismologists said.

The quake struck at 7:37 am (2237 GMT Saturday), in Ibaraki prefecture, north of the capital, at a depth of 59 kilometres (37 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

The crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant was shaken by the quake but there were no abnormalities reported, the plant's operator said.

The quake lasted about 30 seconds and was felt by many people in Tokyo.

Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/strong-earthquake-hits-eastern-japan-shakes-tokyo/articleshow/25532058.cms

---

[Deep13]

1. uh-oh. nt

[Divernan]

2. Mealy-mouthed "no abnormalities" spin from Fukushima operator - yeah, right!

Both the Japanese government and the nuclear plant owner/operator have been desperately spinning and lying since this disaster happened. Either they knew and hid the dangers, or they were too technically incompetent and unprepared to accurately measure the dangers. How can they possibly and so VERY quickly claim "no abnormalities reported" when they don't even have access to many already damaged pools/areas? The tricky part of their statement is that nothing has been reported, not that a thorough investigation/inspection has been carried out.

Do you all remember immediately after 9/11 when the EPA report on air/ground/water quality at Ground Zero, was re-written at the direction of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, to claim that, Hey! no danger here. Everyone get in there to clean things up and get Wall Street up and running again ASAP? The “C” word has been every World Trade Center responder’s nightmare — and for good reason.

Cancer has become a reality for more than 1,000 men and women who sacrificed their health at Ground Zero — and the number is expected to grow.

“You get a lump in your throat when you first have to tell your wife,” said NYPD Detective Amadeo Pulley, 47, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May. “But I told my family and two kids I’m gonna be fine. We will get through this.”

As New York and the nation approach the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attack, a Mount Sinai Medical Center study found a 15% higher cancer rate among 9/11 responders than among people not exposed to the Ground Zero toxins.

“There are more cases out there, because we just know of the people in our government-funded medical programs, not those who have been treated by their private doctors,” said Dr. Jim Melius, who is chairman of the steering committee for the WTC Responder Medical Program and a 9/11 Health Watch board member.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/1-140-wtc-9-11-responders-cancer-article-1.1449499#ixzz2kFAcCd00

As many as 65,000 people, including first responders, who got sick from 9/11 exposure are part of a WTC medical monitoring and treatment program in the New York metro area and in clinics around the country. To enroll or find out if you are eligible for free medical and mental health care, call 888-982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc

[Art_from_Ark]

6. The earthquake's epicenter was about 15 miles from my house

It was a very localized earthquake that lasted for maybe 20 seconds. The highest intensity was recorded at the city next to mine-- 5- on the Japanese scale, meaning that a few books might have fallen off of shelves. The intensity in my city was 4, meaning that some figurines might have gotten knocked off of shelves, but everything at my house was fine. The highest intensity area (shown in orange on the map in the link) was more than 100 miles from the Fukushima reactors, where the intensity was much less, recorded as 2, meaning that a lot of people might not have even noticed it. So no, this particular earthquake was hardly strong enough to cause abnormalities at Fukushima Daiichi.

http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/20131110073801.html?c=3

[davidpdx]

3. Not good

I'm not necessarily worried about Tokyo as much as the Fukushima. One has to wonder what would have happened had that quake been a little further north.

[Katashi_itto]

4. It's just a matter of time before that happens.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. There have been all sorts of earthquakes of that magnitude

a little farther north since the March 2011 disasters, including M.7 or higher. A M5.5 quake in Japan is generally no big deal. There was a 5.5 earthquake once whose epicenter was only one lousy mile from my house. The house felt like a boat on a lake for a little bit, but the only thing that happened inside my house was that a picture stand was knocked over.

[davidpdx]

9. It only takes one near Fukashima to make the disaster worse

I've been in a 5.5 before and it scared the crap out of me. Of course I've only been in significant earthquakes two times. Once in California around Walnut Creek and the other one in Portland in 93' (that one was the one I walked out of my dorm room and yelled at the students who were screaming and running down the stairs that "it's just an earthquake". Funny enough most of them turned out to be Japanese students).

[Art_from_Ark]

10. There have been all sorts of earthquakes near Fukushima Daiichi since March 2011

The region is called "Fukushima Hamadori" 福島浜通り and there have been literally hundreds of earthquakes centered on Hamadori since The Big One, with a few registering 5 or greater on the Japanese intensity scale (meaning damage was possible). There have also been several strong earthquakes centered on neighboring regions, such as Miyagiken-oki 宮城県沖 and Fukushima Nakadori　福島中通り.

Fukushima Hamadori starts here. Click the right arrow 次へ＞ at the bottom of the chart to see more):
http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/list/?sort=1&key=3&b=3601

Fukushima Nakadori starts in the middle of this page.　Click the right arrow 次へ＞ at the bottom of the chart to see more):
http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/list/?sort=1&key=3&b=4401

Miyagiken-oki starts in the middle of this page.　Click the right arrow 次へ＞ at the bottom of the chart to see more):
http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/list/?sort=1&key=3&b=1601

Note that a few of these earthquakes occurred before March 11, 2011, but the vast majority occurred afterward. Hundreds and hundreds of earthquakes.

[AsahinaKimi]

5. damn

[Art_from_Ark]

8. It was no big deal, actually

There was a bit of shaking in my area, but no damage, and people in Fukushima might not have even noticed it.

[Scairp]

11. I agree

And I'm not even in Japan. I can't believe such a nothing event even made the news. Anything less than a 7 on the USGS scale doesn't mean a thing in Japan. They have a moderate earthquake nearly every day, most of them along the subduction zones out in the ocean.