Japan hit by worst earthquake and tsunami in its history in 2011 – from the SCMP archive

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by SCMPMarch 11, 2026 at 03:30 AM

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In March 2011, Japan experienced its largest earthquake in history, an 8.9-magnitude quake centered 125 kilometers off the northeast coast. The earthquake, occurring at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, triggered a devastating tsunami that crashed ashore, sweeping away buildings, infrastructure, and vehicles. The tsunami caused widespread destruction along the coast, particularly around Sendai, and prompted tsunami alerts and evacuations across East Asia and the Pacific, including Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Initial reports indicated at least 1,000 fatalities, with expectations of a significantly higher death toll as rescue efforts reached the most affected areas. The event occurred at 1:46 pm Hong Kong time.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Martin Wong 40% Greg Torode 40% Hong Kong 40% Indonesia 50% Hawaii 50% Taiwan 50% Philippines 50% Tokyo 60% Sendai 70% Japan 90% Earthquake and Tsunami (2011) 95%

Keywords

tsunami 100% earthquake 100% japan 90% natural disaster 80% death toll 70% sendai 60% pacific 50% east asia 50% magnitude 8.9 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

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Source

South China Morning Post

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Japan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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tsunami earthquake japan natural disaster death toll sendai pacific east asia magnitude 8.9

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