Day of Waves: Massive Tsunami Hits Japan

Forget about the Day of Rage, there is tragedy unfolding in the Far East right now in the aftermath of last night’s 8.9 earthquake 80 miles off the coast of Japan.  The quake triggered a tsunami that has so far claimed 23 lives and shut down a ton of business activity.

By 7pm (10am GMT) on Friday, Japan was digesting the fact it had been hit by the biggest earthquake in 140 years of seismic observation — 8.9 on the Richter scale.

There is a nuclear reactor overheating that they are trying to cool.  The government admits their attempts are “not going as planned”.  A state of emergency has been declared.

FT Alphaville’s Gwen Robinson is actually in Tokyo and has the most important updates you’ll need to keep up with the story from a business perspective – several companies are reporting damage and shutdowns across the country:

Japan, a Quake Update (FT Alphaville)

Also, the New York Times is out with the possibility that Hawaii may be in the tsunami’s path.  (NYT)

Video footage here, hat tip DT:  The Lede