On Friday , March 11 , 2011 , at 2:46 p.m. ( UTC +9 ) , Japan suffered from a powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami , one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded . The earthquake killed almost 20,000 people , affected places in the three regions of Tohoku , Chubu , and Kanto in the northeast of Honshu , including the Tokyo area , had massive economic ramifications , and caused the serious Fukushima nuclear power disaster
earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
History of Japan