Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) released Thursday handout tsunami waters photos taken from near its number 5 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 11, when a 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan that triggered the tsunami.

Waves up to 30-foot high engulf the port city of Sendai after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off the north east coast of Japan on March 11. Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.

Take a glimpse of the tsunami waters at the TEPCO plant:

Earthquake Japan Tsunami Tsunami