The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami (東北地方太平洋沖地震, Tōhoku Chihō Taiheiyō-oki Jishin^[3]?, literally "Tōhoku region Pacific Ocean offshore earthquake") was an 8.9-magnitude megathrust earthquake that created tsunami waves of up to 10 metres (33 ft).^[4] It was measured at 7^[5] on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in the northern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, with an initially reported magnitude of 7.9,^[5] while the JMA's tsunami warning listed the magnitude as 8.4,^[6] later updated to 8.8.^[7] The earthquake focus was reported to be off the Oshika Peninsula, the east coast of Tōhoku on 11 March 2011, at 05:46 UTC (14:46 local time) at a depth of 24.4 kilometres (15.2 mi).^[8] News reports by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) indicate that at least 1000 people have died and another 530 are missing in six different prefectures,^[1][2] although it is feared the total number of dead could be far higher.^[9][10]
The magnitude of 8.9 made it the largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history^[4] and the seventh largest in the world since records began.