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Quake is Japan's Worst Natural Disaster in Nearly 100 Years

   Victor Beattie/Steve Herman  March 11, 2011
   A   massive   tsunami  hits  the  coastal  areas  of  Iwanuma,  Miyagi
   Prefecture, northeastern Japan, march 11, 2011

Photo: Reuters

   A   massive   tsunami  hits  the  coastal  areas  of  Iwanuma,  Miyagi
   Prefecture, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2011

   Japanese  geologists  have long forecasted a huge earthquake in Japan,
   and the country has been preparing for the "big one" for decades.

   But the 8.9 magnitude quake that struck Friday off the coast of Honshu
   was far bigger than anticipated.

   VOA's  Bureau  Chief  in  Seoul,  Steve Herman, lived and reported for