地震 (jishin) - Earthquake

 

1. Today's Japanese words
Here's some Japanese vocabulary related to earthquakes and natural disasters with Romaji pronunciation:
General Terms:
地震 (じしん、jishin) - Earthquake
災害 (さいがい、saigai) - Natural disaster
被害 (ひがい、higai) - Damage
犠牲者 (ぎせいしゃ、giseisha) - Casualty
復興 (ふっこう、fukkou) - Reconstruction

Earthquake Specific Terms:
震源 (しんげん、shingen) - Epicenter (source of the earthquake)
震度 (しんど、shindo) - Intensity (strength) of the earthquake shaking
余震 (よしん、youshin) - Aftershock (smaller earthquakes following the main one)
津波 (つなみ、tsunami) - Tsunami
Disaster Preparedness:
避難 (ひなん、hinan) - Evacuation
避難所 (ひなんじょ、hinanjo) - Evacuation shelter
避難勧告 (ひなんかんこく、hinankan-koku) - Evacuation advisory
防災 (ぼうさい、bōsai) - Disaster preparedness
防災グッズ (ぼうさいグッズ、bōsai gūzu) - Disaster preparedness kit
Additional Words:
火災 (かさい、kasai) - Fire (common secondary disaster after earthquakes)
停電 (ていでん、teiden) - Power outage
ガス漏れ (gasu more) - Gas leak
地滑り (じすべり、jisuberi) - Landslide
Phrases:
大地震 (だいじしん、dai jishin) - Great earthquake
地震が発生しました (じしんがはっせいしました、jishin ga hassei shimashita) - An earthquake has occurred.
避難してください (ひなんしてください、hinan shite kudasai) - Please evacuate.
津波注意報 (つなみちゅういほう、tsunami chuihō) - Tsunami advisory
2. Today's topic
Great Tōhoku Earthquake: This is the most geographically specific name, referring to the Tōhoku region of northeastern Japan where the earthquake was centered.
Great Sendai Earthquake: Sendai is a major city in the Tōhoku region that was heavily affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
March 11th earthquake and tsunami: This is a more general descriptor of the event.
This earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in Japan's history, with a magnitude of 9.0 or 9.1 depending on the measurement scale used. It caused widespread damage from shaking and triggered a massive tsunami with waves exceeding 10 meters high. The tsunami caused even more destruction than the earthquake itself, inundating coastal areas and causing significant loss of life.

The earthquake and tsunami also led to a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

The Earthquake:

Date: March 11, 2011
Location: Off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan, in the Pacific Ocean (around 72 km east of Oshika Peninsula)
Magnitude: 9.0-9.1 Mw (moment magnitude scale), making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan
Depth: 32 km (relatively shallow)
Duration: Approximately 6 minutes
The undersea megathrust earthquake resulted from the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. This movement caused immense pressure to build up, ultimately triggering the violent release of energy as the plates lurched past each other.

The Tsunami:

The powerful earthquake displaced a massive amount of water, generating a devastating tsunami.
Tsunami waves reached heights exceeding 40 meters in some areas, particularly Miyako, Iwate.
The tsunami surged inland, inundating coastal towns and cities, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
Impact:

Deaths: Over 19,759 people confirmed dead, with thousands more missing.
Destruction: Widespread damage to buildings, infrastructure, and transportation networks.
Nuclear Disaster: The tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, leading to a major nuclear accident with long-term consequences for the surrounding area.
Aftermath:

A massive rescue and recovery effort was launched in the aftermath of the disaster.
The Japanese government implemented stricter regulations for nuclear power plants.
The Tohoku region continues to rebuild and recover from the earthquake and tsunami's devastation.
Additional Points:

The earthquake triggered aftershocks, some registering over 6.0 magnitude, for weeks and months following the initial event.
The disaster had a significant economic impact on Japan.
The event also raised awareness about the importance of earthquake preparedness and tsunami warning systems.


3- Today’s news
Now and then: Photos show rebuilding since 3/11 disaster
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15194784
In Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, around 40 percent of the houses were destroyed by the tsunami and fires, and more than 800 people in the town were killed or listed as missing.


Pushed into corner, Yamaha set to return to domestic production
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15166889