IntroductionWords simply cannot adequately describe the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011. Japan is a developed country with the third largest economy in the world, behind the United States and China. Japan's northeastern border faced a large-scale natural disaster in the form of an earthquake that also caused a massive tsunami and numerous violent aftershocks, which affected Japan domestically and internationally. Aftershocks have continually delayed recovery and made it more difficult for search and rescue teams to comb the disaster area for the dead and injured. This article aims to give a detailed description of the earthquake. In order to fully recover from this natural disaster, the Japanese will need to tackle domestic and international issues by repairing and rebuilding infrastructure, keeping morale high, and accepting foreign aid and donations. Background: Earthquake Details To understand the severity of the situation in Japan, one must understand the facts about the earthquake. Japan's Tohoku region includes the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan's largest island, and is divided into six prefectures, including Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima. The earthquake caused the greatest damage in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region and closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. According to the United States Geological Survey, on March 11, 2011, an earthquake devastated the east coast of Japan, measuring a record magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter Scale (USGS). Fortunately, its epicenter, the focal point of the earthquake (as defined in the American Heritage Dictionar...... middle of paper ......gency, March 29, 2011. Web. April 23, 2011. . Hawkes, Alex. "Japanese stock market falls 10.6% as nuclear fears spark panic | Business | Guardian.co.uk." Guardian News and Media Limited, March 15. 2011. Web. April 27, 2011. .Inoue, Kae. “Toyota Production Loss May Top 40,000 Vehicles Amid Power Shortage – BusinessWeek, Stock Market & Financial Advice, April 27, 2011. Web. 2011. “WHO | Nuclear Concerns in Japan.” World Health Organization, April 13, 2011. Web.. 2011. .