The Director of USC Japan said the 9.0 earthquake shook the headquarters of USC’s Japan study abroad program in Tokyo but did not cause any damage.

“This one [the earthquake] is a long, it was long, long, long,” Stark said. “It’s not like just one minute. It was not just one or two minutes. It was long long shaking. It’s just amazing.”

Stark said she was not sure how many students from USC were currently studying in Japan, but she said their office had not heard reports of any students being injured in the earthquake. She said she did not believe any students were injured because there was not a lot of damage in Tokyo.

Stark said transportation was the only thing that was heavily affected.

“The trains are not running,” she said. “And Narita [International Airport] is closed.”

Stark said the staff in the USC Japan Office watched the footage of the damage from the earthquake and the tsunami on a television in a neighboring office.

“It was awful. When we were watching T.V., still the shaking came so many times. I couldn’t believe it,” Stark said.

Stark said she had to sleep in the USC Japan Office because of the lack of transportation in the city.

“We really have to check where you’re going, and, then, see if you can take that train or not. Last night there were a lot of people walking back home,” she said.

Stark said her assistant was able to get home safely by train because her train route was open. Stark had not been back home and said she hoped her apartment was okay.

A group of students from USC Marshall School of Business was planning to fly into Tokyo, but the trip may be delayed because flights in and out of Japan’s Narita International Airport came to halt, according to Stark.

Stark said the students were planning on leaving within the next two days, but she is not sure if they will be able to make the trip now.

According to Stark, one professor who was planning to meet the students in Tokyo was on a flight that was rerouted to Sapporo, an island north of mainland Japan.