It was a close shave for Bernama editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan today, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo.

NONE “I was in a shop in Aoyama district when the building shook. I was killing time before my interview with the Malaysian ambassador at 4pm. I ran out of the building.. I was on the first floor. Another aftershock hit just before 3.30pm,” he said in his SMS message to Bernama today.

Yong, who is in Tokyo for the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) assignment, said the earthquake struck at downtown Tokyo about 2.50pm.

NONE Yong, who is in Tokyo for the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) assignment, had just prior to that, interviewed Dr Akira Kojima, a senior research fellow of the Japan Centre For Economic Research and visiting Professor of National Graduate Institute For Policy Studies.

Recalling the encounter, Yong said he had asked Jetro official Junko Tazawa, who was with him, whether it was a quake when the building they were in, shook.

“Before she could answer, the tremor became even more severe. It then struck me that it was a quake and a big one at that,” he said.

As he watched the shelves starting to topple over, the shop assistants motioned him to take the nearest staircase down.

Together with Junko, they just did that and they were soon out of the building in no time, to a side street.

NONE “We saw giant construction cranes swaying...I knew it was a big quake but I didn’t know what was the magnitude. Later, I found out it was a whopper at 8.9!,” he said.

During the ordeal, many people could be seen rushing out from buildings and some children were seen crying on the streets.

Taxis were hard to come by and the underground trains stopped operating.

Amidst the confusion, Yong and Junko trudged to the Malaysian Embassy, located a good three kilometres away, in the cold.

Junko said this was the biggest quake she had ever experienced in her entire 28 years.

Yong said: “When there were two smaller earthquakes earlier this week, I had a strange feeling that a bigger one was coming, and I had better leave before it comes.

“I was due to leave tomorrow afternoon. But unfortunately, it struck at 2.50pm today. Thank God, I am glad I am still alive!

“I must thank my lucky stars. I had walked a lot these few days in underground stations.

“Now, I’m told that I have a long walk ahead, perhaps two hours. It is a small thing compared to being alive. I might lose some weight in the process.”

 

- Bernama