Northern Japan has been swamped by a major tsunami - and the entire Pacific region is now on alert. It was caused by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck 130 kilometers off the eastern coast - sending a 4-metre wall of water inland, causing widespread devastation. So far, 23 people are confirmed dead - but that number's expected to rise. The first wave has also reached Russia's Kuril islands to the north, reportedly around a metre high. In Japan, 200 people have reportedly been washed away, with several others missing on Japan's Sendai island. Tokyo's been all-but shut down - with fires and injuries widely reported there. Millions are without electricity. Norita International Airport has been shut down. Hawaii is now bracing for a destructive wave to reach its shores within the next few hours. Top videos of Japan earthquake & tsunami 2011 http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE2A510C9D8B09EE7 Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaToday Watch RT LIVE on our website http://rt.com/on-air Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/b/102728491539958529040 RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.