Twitter full of trends on Sendai Earthquake, including Pokemon creator death hoax

In the wake of the devastation in Japan after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake on Friday, along with a tsunami and many large aftershocks, Twitter has become full of trending topics related to the earthquake. Some are prayers, but others are about texting the Red Cross, and one is, curiously, about Satoshi Tajiri, Pokemon creator.

Among the trends related to the tsunami as of early morning March 12, PT, are:

• #prayforjapan
• #tsunami
• Fukushima (where the nuclear reactor that exploded earlier is located)
• Text REDCROSS
• Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon creator)
• Minamisanriku (a city where close to 10,000 people are missing)
• Chernobyl (related, obviously, to the Fukushima reactor)

The reason Satoshi Tajiri is among the list is because of what appears to be a Twitter Death Hoax. A Tweet sent some 12 hours ago by user @xCyrusAndLovato said:

The creator of Pokemon died today in the #tsunami, #Japan. RIP: Satoshi Tajiri. #prayforjapan.

In fact, although Pokemon is known as "anime" (sort of), it was also first a video game, and Nintendo has responded with their own Tweet about the rumors:

Thanks for your concern! During the earthquake no one at Nintendo in Japan was injured and there was no apparent structural damage.

There was additional confirmation from MauritiusHot.com,

Satoshi Tajiri,45 years old live in Machida , Tokyo. Satoshi Tajiri fainted while seeing the destruction done by the Tsunami but he is not dead.

Those who wish to donate easily to the Red Cross can take a tip from the Text REDCROSS trend above: simply text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan relief efforts; the charge will be automatically added to your cell phone bill.