8:43 AM local time. Centered in Iwate Prefecture. M7 according to the first news reports. No word on injuries yet, but very likely to be some.
wow! terra firma is not so firm lately. china, greece, and now japan.
i hope there are few injuries and even fewer fatalities.
Damn… I felt that all the way down here in Gunma, just a tiny little bit. Did you feel it in Tokyo? I have to say whenever I feel an earthquake these days I think of China… definitely more of an adrenaline-rush than usual now. I was getting used to the constant earthquakes here before that whole thing. 
Hopefully everyone is fine; it wasn’t THAT big.
I immediately went and checked online for any tsunami warnings to the Hawaiian chain. Thankfully, no tsunami warning is in effect from the quake. Whew.
I hope it’s okay out there in Japan and nobody got killed…or even hurt.
Current report is 2 confirmed deaths and 6 confirmed injured. There is also a bus with 17 on board that has been buried (or partially buried) in a landslide.
I was just going out to my kids’ sports day up here in Hokkaido. The kids were already at school and probably on the field so I wasn’t bothered about them.
Usually when we have mild earthquakes here, I have a plant and a hanging light cord that I look at - but this time the pictures on the wall all started rattling, and it went on and on and on. I did feel some swaying too so got up and opened the front door but really it was mild here. Very long though!
Then I turned the TV on and it was saying that about two minutes previously the big earthquake had hit in Iwate.
We have friends there (and family) not sure about the family yet but I got in contact with the friends within a few minutes. One got bonked on the head by a washing pole that fell off onto her as she was hanging laundry. The other family had a china cabinet fall but nobody was near it when it fell, so no injuries.
I am watching the news as I type. It said that there are three dead and ten missing. There’s a hot spring hotel that has submerged into the spring, and there are three people missing in it. The entire building has slipped sideways and crumbled. There are also pictures of bridges and so on that collapsed…
Fortunately, the quake didn’t hit a densely populated area but there has been some truly dramatic changes in the scenery.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/photonews/photo.htm?ge=1&id=8665
http://www.asahi.com/special/08006/gallery/TKY200806140288.html
http://www.asahi.com/special/08006/gallery/TKY200806140113.html
http://www.asahi.com/special/08006/gallery/TKY200806140236.html
I’m sure glad I wasn’t on any of those roads at the time.
I have a friend living there but I have no idea what city he’s in. I hope he’s okay. (Acknowledges the statistical probability is minuscule that he’s not, but is a worrywart.)
Hokkaido Brit, I hope your family are all well and everyone else, too.
The aftershocks can’t be helping any.
I’m very glad none of our Japan dopers have been affected too severely. Stupid fault lines.
Thank you - it barely registered here. (Just a prolonged wobble.)
My husband’s family are amazingly uncommunicative but we have not heard of any casualties from their village, so have to assume they are OK!
Geeze!
Those photos!
Rock & earth twisted like play-dough!