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SINGAPORE, March 11 (Reuters) - The most active gold contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange, February 2012 , inched up on Friday after an earthquake of magnitute 8.8 struck the north coast of Japan, but the rubber contract for August 2011 barely moved.
"It's a bad Friday. It's quite a strong tremor but TOCOM is still operating," said a bullion dealer in the capital, Tokyo.
The massive quake shook buildings in Tokyo, causing "many injuries", at least one fire and triggering a four-metre (13-ft) tsunami, NHK television and witnesses reported.
There was also a warning of a 10-meter tsunami following the quake, Japan's biggest in 7 years.
"I would say there's some buying TOCOM, but I think the damage is limited. I guess people are buying for safe haven," said another dealer in Tokyo.
The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded to 8.9 the magnitude of the earthquake. The USGS said the massive quake struck offshore, 81 miles (130 kms) east of Sendai in Honshu, at a depth of 15.2 miles (24 kms).
The NHK showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.
Black smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama's Isogo area. TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks floating in water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed into the water.
Kyodo news agency said there were reports of fires in the city of Sendai in the northeast. (Reporting by Lewa Pardomuan; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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