A Tsunami warning has been issued for North Japan after a strong earthquake.
The Beeb said a tsunami would be hitting the island of Hokkaido ten minutes ago, isn’t there a doper from there/living there?
Noted that - my first thought is Hokkaido Brit.
Fingers crossed that the Japanese defenses will be good enough for a 2 metre wave, but you never know.
Here’s the USGS page about the quake: no tsunami warning there, which is odd since they come out of Hawaii.
Woah - tsunami warnings issued for Alaska. Wake up Alaskan dopers and get to high ground if you’re in one of the danger areas!
That’s the fellow I was thinking of. I have a mate out teaching English in Japan, but he’s well inland, an hour’s travel away from Tokyo.
Strange to think that in Japan, an hour’s travel by bullet train means so much more than an hour’s drive or train travel here in Northern Ireland.
I was about to start this thread when I got to work this morning (which is now).
Any updates?
Warnings issued for Russia annd Northern and Pacific coasts of Honshu too - but no unusual water movement yet noted according to NHK.
Better safe than sorry, though.
Pst, Pushkin, Brit’s a lady. If I recall correctly, she went to Japan to teach for a year and caught herself a case of Japanese Husband. Other than that I’m sure she appreciates your concern 
According to NHK:
I just hope it won’t be something like The Sinking of Japan.
BBC reports a Japanese source saying the initial wave is 40cm tall and it’s made landfall somewhere I didn’t quite catch.
Oops :o 
The Beeb reports the tsunami as less than a quater of its expected height, so hopefully all’s well.
From CNN:
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) – A small 40-centimeter (16-inch) tsunami has hit northern Japan after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Russian-owned Kuril islands, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.
Phew!
P.S. Does a 40cm wave *really * count as a tsunami? Does anyone know a Japanese prefix or suffix that one could add to tsunami to make “tsunami-lite” or “mini-tsunami”? 
Tsunamiko sounds like Pig Japanese for “daughter who was made at the beach and it was an eartquake moment by Jolly.”
T.-chan (anthropomorphically)
T.-kun (ditto)
Chisaii t. (small)
Sukoshi t. (slight or little)
Karui t. (light, in the sense of having little weight, or as for food)
Saishōgen no t. (minimum)
I’m sure someone more familiar with anime would know a better wasei eigo term.
Or was that really, really way too geeky?
Every time I try tp warn Doper of Miscellaneous Geologic Doom™, I get sneered at.
See if I warn you guys next time Gojira rises from the sea! 
Genkitsunami!
What’s next? An 18" Godzilla attack?
Dammit, I’m already two hours too late for the Gojira jokes. Damn you, Bosda.
Don’t scoff.
They can really chew up your ankles until the daschunds bring them down.
Bless you!