On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture, causing major damage to the area. The tsunami was estimated to be approximately 10 meters high in Miyagi Prefecture. On April 7, 2011, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi, Japan. Workers were then evacuated from the nearby troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility once again, as a tsunami warning was issued for the coastline. Residents were told to flee for inner land at that time. Officials from the U.S. Geological Survey later downgraded the magnitude to 7.1 from 7.4.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Yes, earthquake and tsunami Yes, an earthquake. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture, causing major damage to the area Yes, on March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit it.
what year did the mayflower land on plymouth bay
user
December 16, 1620
assistant
where was this colony located?
user
Plymouth, Massachusetts
assistant
which is the ship they traveled to this place in?
user
"Mayflower"
assistant
is there a society bearing the same name as the ship?
user
Yes, The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, or The Mayflower Society
assistant
what was the language spoken by the people who came on the ship?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
was the place mentioned earlier associated with any war?
user
Yes, Revolutionary War
assistant
what sort of public transportation is found here?
user
Several transportation facilities available such as buses, railways, airports, ferry, etc
assistant
are there other cities closely similar to this one?
user
Yes, it  has shared a twin-city status with Devon in United Kingdom and Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture in Japan
assistant
has the last mentioned prefecture experienced any natural disaster?
user
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture, causing major damage to the area. The tsunami was estimated to be approximately 10 meters high in Miyagi Prefecture. On April 7, 2011, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi, Japan. Workers were then evacuated from the nearby troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility once again, as a tsunami warning was issued for the coastline. Residents were told to flee for inner land at that time. Officials from the U.S. Geological Survey later downgraded the magnitude to 7.1 from 7.4.
Miyagi Prefecture | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On 13 July 869, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake and tsunami struck the coast of Iwate. On 14 November 1230, volcanic activity was reported. On 2 December 1611, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami were reported to have killed over 3,000 horses and people.
Iwate Prefecture | Natural disasters
The population decline of Tōhoku, which began before the year 2000, has accelerated, now including previously dynamic Miyagi. Despite this, Sendai City has grown, in part due to relocations of people affected by the 2011 disaster. The population decline of Aomori, Iwate and Akita Prefectures, Honshu's three northernmost, began in the early 1980s after an initial loss of population in the late 1950s. Fukushima Prefecture, prior to 1980, had traditionally been the most populated, but today Miyagi is the most populated and urban by far.
Tōhoku region | Demographics
On Friday, March 11, 2011, 14:46 JST, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. Shindo measurements throughout the prefecture reached as high as 6-upper in isolated regions of Hama-dōri on the eastern coast and as low as a 2 in portions of the Aizu region in the western part of the prefecture. Fukushima City, located in Naka-dōri and the capital of Fukushima Prefecture, measured 6-lower. Following the earthquake there were isolated reports of major damage to structures, including the failure of Fujinuma Dam as well as damage from landslides. The earthquake also triggered a massive tsunami that hit the eastern coast of the prefecture and caused widespread destruction and loss of life.
Fukushima Prefecture | Earthquake and tsunami
25 years after his death, Hirai’s foresight protected lives and environment from the March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant (Miyagi Prefecture), designed and built under his watch, was the sole plant in the region that fully resisted the disaster of March 11, 2011: all of its three reactors successfully withstood the seismic event and subsequent tsunami, shutting down safely as designed and virtually without any incident. The site of the plant even ended up providing a refuge for three months to more than 300 neighboring people who had lost their homes.
Yanosuke Hirai | Introduction
The Miyagi area includes manufacturing and industrial zones with chemical and electronics plants. It is estimated that Miyagi accounts for 1.7% of Japan's gross domestic product. An estimated 23,600 hectares of farmland, mostly rice paddies, were damaged by the tsunami. Salt left in the soil by the seawater could adversely affect rice crops for years. The affected area accounts for as much as 3%–4% of Japan's rice production. An estimated 4.37 million chickens in northeast Japan died following the earthquake as a result of disruptions in the supply of feed from overseas suppliers.
Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Japan
There were widespread landslides that caused extensive damage to highways and 1 death in the area around Sendai. 1,183 houses were completely destroyed within Miyagi Prefecture, with a further 5,574 partially destroyed. Soil liquefaction was observed in lands claimed by embankment. No damage was reported from the tsunami.
1978 Miyagi earthquake | Damage
A 54-year-old hotel owner broke a rib when gusty winds toppled a seaside structure in Shizuoka. In Fukushima Prefecture, seven homes were damaged in four towns, thirty-nine roads were closed, of which two were national highways. A total of 1,350 households lost power, and power lines downed several trees. The towns of Nakakura and Yazukado suffered flooding. One person was killed in Toyama Prefecture. A landslide closed two roads in Kmoagane in Nagano Prefecture. Throughout the prefecture, 18 dwellings sustained damage and 68 trains were cancelled or delayed, resulting in 49,000 stranded travelers. In Tochigi Prefecture, 141 houses, 266 roads, 284 communication lines, and 6 bridges received damage, while 10 homes were damaged and 23 landslides occurred.
Tropical Storm Winona (1990) | Impact
Japan's National Police Agency said on 3 April 2011, that 45,700 buildings were destroyed and 144,300 were damaged by the quake and tsunami. The damaged buildings included 29,500 structures in Miyagi Prefecture, 12,500 in Iwate Prefecture and 2,400 in Fukushima Prefecture. Three hundred hospitals with 20 beds or more in Tōhoku were damaged by the disaster, with 11 being completely destroyed. The earthquake and tsunami created an estimated 24–25 million tons of rubble and debris in Japan. An estimated 230,000 automobiles and trucks were damaged or destroyed in the disaster. As of the end of May 2011, residents of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had requested deregistration of 15,000 vehicles, meaning that the owners of those vehicles were writing them off as unrepairable or unsalvageable.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Damage and effects
Chiba City, Funabashi, Narashino, and especially Urayasu were greatly affected. As a result of permanent damage to housing stock due to soil liquefaction and evidence of radioactive materials, the population of Chiba Prefecture fell for the first time since 1920.
Chiba Prefecture | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the resulting Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster caused significant damage to the prefecture, primarily but not limited to the eastern Hamadōri region.
Fukushima Prefecture | 2011 earthquake and subsequent disasters
A few cases of suicide are also included. Most of these deaths occurred during the first six months after the earthquake and the number dropped thereafter, but as time has passed, the number has continued to increase. Most of these deaths occurred in Fukushima prefecture, where the prefecture government has suggested that they could be due to evacuations caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. These indirect casualties have already resulted in more deaths than the number of people killed directly by earthquake and tsunami within the Fukushima prefecture.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Japan
There was no damage to the Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture, and the recommendation for their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June was seized upon as a symbol of international recognition and recovery.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Cultural properties
The former Japanese participant of Korean Broadcasting System's "Global Talk Show" Junko Sagawa criticized the Japanese government for "intentionally ignoring the Japanese citizens during the tsunami and the nuclear crisis" through her personal homepage on 17 March 2011. The earthquake postponed the analog shutdown in the Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. Television stations in these three prefectures shut off their analog signals on 31 March 2012 at noon. Television stations in the Yamagata, Aomori, and Akita prefectures shut down their analog signals on 24 July 2011, along with the rest of Japan.
Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Media
Although the quake was located several miles offshore, moderate to very strong shaking was reported as far inland as Tokyo, about 333 km (207 mi) from its epicentre. Upon the detection of the earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Miyagi Prefecture, as well as tsunami alerts for Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture and the Pacific Rim. Waves of between 0.5 and 1 m were anticipated, and residents along coastal areas were urged to evacuate. All warnings and alerts were canceled within 90 minutes, however. The tremor caused widespread power outages, with power still not restored to some 3.6 million households across several prefectures by 8 April.
April 2011 Miyagi earthquake | Damage and casualties
Damage in the prefecture totaled ¥1.2 billion yen. Two people were killed in Miyazaki Prefecture because of landslides and another drowned into a river, and an additional ten were wounded. Throughout the prefecture, 4,688 houses suffered damage, while an additional ninety-two dwellings were destroyed, which led to 18,449 homeless. Furthermore, 2,700 households lost power in the city Miyazaki while 8,339 households lost power in Nichinan. Prefecture-wide, damage totaled ¥10.8 billion yen, primarily from the western portion of the prefecture. In Kagoshima Prefecture, five people suffered injuries, including two in a landslide. A total of 229 houses were damaged and seventy more were destroyed; consequently, 194 people lost their homes.
Typhoon Gene | Impact
The April 2011 Miyagi earthquake (Japanese: ) occurred off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, approximately east of Sendai, Japan. The thrust earthquake was classified as an aftershock of the March 11 Tōhoku earthquake, and occurred at 23:32 JST (14:32 UTC) on Thursday, 7 April 2011. Several tsunami warnings were issued for the northeastern coast of Honshu; however, they were all canceled 90 minutes later. Over 3 million households in the area were left without power, and several nuclear plants suffered minor inconveniences. There was no major structural damage, but the quake killed at least 4 people and injured 141.
April 2011 Miyagi earthquake | Introduction
On 11 March 2011, Miyako was devastated by a tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Only about 30–60 boats survived from the town's 960 ship fishing fleet. A subsequent field study by the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute revealed that the waters had reached at least above sea level, almost equaling the record of the tsunami created by the 1896 Sanriku earthquake. The final reported death toll from the disaster was 420 confirmed dead, 92 missing, and 4,005 buildings destroyed. Some of the most iconic footage of the tsunami, repeatedly broadcast worldwide, was shot in Miyako. It shows a dark black wave cresting and overflowing a floodwall and tossing cars, followed by a fishing ship capsizing as it hit the submerged floodwall and then crushed as it was forced beneath a bridge.
Miyako, Iwate | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
In the two years following the earthquake, 1,817 residents of Fukushima Prefecture had either been confirmed dead or were missing as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.
Fukushima Prefecture | Earthquake and tsunami
The 11 March 2011 earthquake in Tohoku devastated many households in the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, where major power and water outages were reported. Rolling blackouts in some areas of the country that were not seriously affected by the earthquake would take place for the remainder of March; this required the analog auxiliary transmitters in the Kantō region to stop broadcasting for a short period of time. On 22 April 2011, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that the shutdown of analog transmitters in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures would be postponed for up to a year following the original shutdown date of 24 July 2011 out of respect for the victims of the disaster; the television stations licensed to those three prefectures would be subsidized for half the cost of maintaining the old analog equipment.
Digital television transition in Japan | Tōhoku earthquake reaction
Local officials estimated that 20% to 40% of the town's population has been killed. Although the town was prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis and had a 6.5 metre high seawall, it was not enough and more than 80% of 8,000 houses were swept away. A BBC film dated 20 March reported that the harbour gates of the town failed to shut as the tsunami approached, and that 45 young firemen were swept away while attempting to close them manually. The same film reported that 500 bodies had been recovered in the town, but that 10,000 people were still unaccounted-for out of a population of 26,000.
Rikuzentakata, Iwate | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Iwate Prefecture, which is an area at high risk from tsunami, had tsunami barriers walls (Taro sea wall) totalling long at coastal towns. The 2011 tsunami toppled more than 50% of the walls and caused catastrophic damage.
Tsunami | Mitigation
However, further natural disasters followed. On October 4, 1707, the Great Hoei earthquake again devastated Edo and Odawara, destroying much of what had been rebuilt from the earlier disaster. This was followed by the Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji in December, with volcanic ash raining on Edo and Odawara and repeated earthquakes. The following year the Sakawa River flooded due to sediment build-up resulting from the ash fall, and the crops failed. Some 104 villages in Ashigarakami District and 59 villages in Suntō District were rendered uninhabitable. Tadamasu appealed to the Tokugawa shogunate for assistance, and in response, the government annexed the disaster-struck portions of his territories as "tenryō" under the direct control of the central government, and provided Tadamasu for new territories with an assessed value of 60,000 "koku" scattered across the provinces of Izu, Mimasaka and Harima.
Ōkubo Tadamasu | Biography
Motoyoshi District was devastated by the magnitude 9.0 March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami which occurred off the coast of Japan; an estimated 9,500 people are reported missing from the town of Minamisanriku alone. Early estimates indicate that this could represent as much as 90% of the total casualties in Japan.
Motoyoshi District, Miyagi | History
However, Beichuan County, which is in the prefecture, is among the most severely hit of all disaster regions following the earthquake, including the Beichuan High School campus where more than 1,000 students lost their lives after two main buildings collapsed. Around 80% of the county's buildings are said to have collapsed, including its main government building. The casualty toll for the quake in Mianyang Prefecture as of 7 June 2008 was 21,963 people killed, 167,742 injured, and 8,744 people missing.
Mianyang | History
In an incident widely reported in the Chinese media, Mitsuru Sato, managing director of Sato Suisan, a fish processing company in the town, gave his life ensuring that all the firm's workers, including 20 female Chinese resident trainees, had evacuated safely to higher ground. Whereas the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered insufficient cooling in the wake of the tsunami which led to three nuclear meltdowns and the release of radioactive material, the Onagawa nuclear generation facility, much closer to the earthquake epicenter, survived the earthquake without any significant damage and served as an emergency refuge for the local community.
Onagawa, Miyagi | 2011 earthquake and tsunami
Throughout Japan, 3 deaths and 67 injures caused by Typhoon Neoguri were confirmed, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Government of Japan. In Kōriyama, Fukushima, an 83-year-old man fell into a swollen river and died. In Nagiso, Nagano, a landslide sent mud and rock tumbling down a mountainside, killing a 12-year-old boy. A 77-year-old man in Seiyo, Ehime was found dead in a canal. In the prefectures of Okinawa, Nagano, and Kagoshima, it was reported that there were approximately 10,300 power failures. Three buildings in Nagano Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture were destroyed completely and, in the same prefectures, eight buildings were partially destroyed.
Typhoon Neoguri (2014) | Impact
A total of 8,293 households lost power in Tokushima Prefecture, and 25 roads were damaged in 156 location. Nearly of crops were damaged. Prefecturewide, damage was estimated at ¥1.87 billion. A 54-year-old farmer near Susaki was killed when he was struck by a falling rock. Across Kōchi Prefecture, two people were wounded. Roads were damaged in 145 spots and of crops were damaged. A total of 19,855 houses in 17 municipalities, including Susaki, suffered a blackout after falling trees downed power lines. Damage in the prefecture exceeded ¥2.86 billion. Twenty-four flights were cancelled to and from Takamatsu Airport. A total of 964 homes lost power while 220 others were destroyed.
Typhoon Janis (1992) | Japan
Recent natural disasters that have hit the region include the flood of 1993 and that of October 15, 2000, when more than of rain fell in two days, causing inundations and landslides.
Cogne | History
Nuclear power plants within the region also suffered from the outages; two of three power lines supplying power to fuel coolers were cut off at the Onagawa power plant. Radioactive water consequently leaked out of spent fuel pools at three of its reactors, though no change in the radiation levels outside the plant was reported. Five coal-powered power plants also shut down, adding to concerns over energy shortages. Fukushima I power plant, which had earlier been struck by the 11 March quake, evacuated its workers as a safety precaution, but the plant sustained no damage. Four people were reported dead as a result of the earthquake, including an elderly woman in Yamagata Prefecture who lost power to her medical ventilator.
April 2011 Miyagi earthquake | Damage and casualties
In the prefecture, these rains triggered 42 landslides and flooded seven homes, three of which were left with severe damage. A total of 334 hectares of farmland was damaged by Jangmi, leaving 15.4 million yen (US$176,360) in losses. In Miyazaki Prefecture, one person was injured and three homes were damaged after a hillside collapsed.
Typhoon Jangmi (2008) | Japan
Immediate aftermath accounts suggested 95 percent of the town was destroyed by the 2011 Japanese tsunami that followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Only the tallest buildings remained, and roughly half the population was unaccounted for during the days following the disaster; only 9,700 people were confirmed alive and evacuated in the first week. In late June 2011, a total of 1,206 were counted as dead or missing, according to the Kahoku Shinpou. The town had two evacuation centers where residents could go in the event of a tsunami, one on the southern headland overlooking the town, the other back from the center of the town.
Minamisanriku | 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster
In Tabito town, very close to the epicentre, a landslide resulted in the formation of a quake lake – a natural damming of a river by mass wasting – with a water level of and a storage volume of 1,000–2,500 m (35,000–90,000 cu ft). Significant land deformation with traces of uplift was observed in and around town, affecting local roads but largely sparing its structures. A total of seven people from other regions near the epicentre, including southern Ibaraki, Tochigi and Kanagawa prefectures, suffered minor injuries. Another person was injured during the magnitude 6.0 (M) aftershock of 12 April. In a report from July 2011, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed a death toll of four from the earthquake.
April 2011 Fukushima earthquake | Effects
One person died in Sakai. At least one person was killed by a landslide in Kanuma, Tochigi. Another landslide at a mine in Ashikaga killed a worker. A third death in Tochigi occurred due to flooding. Widespread flooding affected Miyagi Prefecture, especially around the town of Taiwa. A levee along the Shibui River in Ōsaki was breached, stranding 1,000 people. Two people drowned across the prefecture. A total of 4,533 hectares (11,201 acres) of farmland were submerged. Landslides and flooding in Chiba Prefecture affected 109 buildings and rendered numerous roads impassible. Significant damage took place at a fishing port in Chōshi; multiple vessels sank and driftwood cluttered the water.
Tropical Storm Etau (2015) | Japan
A tsunami warning was initially raised by the Japan Meteorological Agency, but was lifted after only two small waves several centimeters high hit shore. Casualties included those killed because of a pool roof collapse in Sendai city, Miyagi prefecture. Initial reports indicated 80 people were injured, but it was later reported by state broadcaster NHK that one person was seriously hurt and thirteen were slightly injured. Seventeen thousand people lost power. Twenty percent of the world's earthquakes are centered on Japan. The Japanese have been developing systems for early warning of earthquakes. For people of the city of Sendai who were testing the new earthquake warning system, they received a warning of the earthquake from the Meteorological Agency 16 seconds before it reached the city, providing time to take cover.
2005 Miyagi earthquake | Damage and casualties
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami affected areas as far south as Chiba Prefecture. While the loss of life and damage to housing and industry was far less than in the Tōhoku region, 20 people were killed in Chiba Prefecture, mostly from the tsunami that hit Asahi to the northeast of the prefecture and caused 13 deaths. An oil refinery fire, widely seen in the news media following the Tōhoku earthquake, was at the Cosmo Oil Chiba Refinery in Ichihara. Large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks burned from March 11–21, 2011. Soil liquefaction in areas of reclaimed land across the northern and western areas of Chiba Prefecture caused damage, primarily to housing.
Chiba Prefecture | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Three bridges in Tokushima were also washed away. Days later, the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency finalized the death toll at 26 with one other missing, making Etau the deadliest tropical cyclone to impact Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan since Typhoon Tokage in 2004. Throughout several prefectures, 5,602 homes were flooded and 183 were destroyed. Landslides triggered by the storm damaged another 2,109 structures, most of which were in Okayama and Hyōgo prefectures. Following severe damages, in the town of Sayo it requested assistance from the national government. As a result, more than 200 troops were deployed to the town. A post-disaster office was also set up by the prime minister's office crisis management center.
Tropical Storm Etau (2009) | Preparations, impact and aftermath
Approximately 95% of the town's rice fields were also flooded with seawater. Ninety Shichigahama townspeople were confirmed to have died in the tsunami, 58 in Shichigahama and 32 in other locations, 6 townspeople were still missing and 7 non-townspeople were confirmed to have died in Shichigahama. Power, water and natural gas lines were damaged and many roads were impassable for days and weeks, except to rescue workers and self-defense forces. During this time, relief was delivered to the town by aid agencies. The conditions varied considerably between centres due to difficulties with logistics and post-disaster organization. Over 4,000 people were initially evacuated to thirteen evacuation centres.
Shichigahama | 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
It was the largest natural disaster in modern times in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Kōfu | History
It has the 15th highest natural disaster risk as measured in the 2013 World Risk Index. Japan has 111 active volcanoes. Destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunami, occur several times each century. The 1923 Tokyo earthquake killed over 140,000 people. More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami.
Japan | Geography
Elis is located in a seismically active zone, and there are several earthquakes each year. Some of the most significant earthquakes to have hit the area are: Rainy weather in 2002-2003 caused destruction of villages by mudslides, and some bridges and roads were also cut off. In February 2008, frost devastated many crops in Manolada, Nea Manolada and Kounoupeli. In August 2007, there were enormous forest fires which led to tens of deaths and a massive environmental and economic disaster. The final toll for the prefecture was: 45 dead, 100,000 affected by the fire, 3,500 left homeless by the fire, 25,000 dead animals, 8,500 hectares of burnt forests, 2,300 hectares of burnt farmland.
Elis (regional unit) | Natural disasters
One person was injured in Fukushima Prefecture. A total of 126 homes were damaged and 17 homes were destroyed in Soma, which resulted in authorities evacuating 834 individuals. Throughout Miyagi Prefecture, 282 homes were damaged and 19 were demolished. Damage there amounted to 2.66 billion yen. Offshore Yamagata Prefecture, a 62-year-old man drowned. Ninety homes were damaged in Akita Prefecture. On the northern tip of Honshu, in Aomori Prefecture two people were injured and 82 homes suffered damage.
Typhoon Page (1990) | Impact
Evacuation advisories were also issued for Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, Kyoto, Okayama, Tokushima, and Kochi prefectures. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that in total, about 8,000 residents evacuated to 1,667 shelters in 24 prefectures. In Osaka, department stores and other commercial facilities were closed. Public schools were closed in the cities of Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka, as well as in Wakayama Prefecture. Several tourist attractions were closed to visitors, including Universal Studios Japan, the Kyoto City Zoo, the Kyoto Aquarium, Nijō Castle, and the Kyoto Imperial Palace. JR-West suspended operations in the Keihanshin region on September 4.
Typhoon Jebi (2018) | Japan
Following the earthquake some analysts were predicting that the total recovery costs could reach ¥10 trillion ($122 billion); however, by 12 April 2011 the Japanese government estimated that the cost of just the direct material damage could exceed ¥25 trillion ($300 billion). Japan's real gross domestic product contracted 3.7% for the quarter of January to March 2011. The northern Tōhoku region, which was most affected, accounts for about 8% of the country's gross domestic product, with factories that manufacture products such as cars and beer, as well as energy infrastructure. It includes northern Miyagi prefecture, where Sendai is, about northeast of Tokyo.
Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Japan
This was done after reports, as published by four prefectures around the nuclear Plant, re-estimated the risks of potential earthquakes in the region: The calculated earthquake magnitudes are almost three times stronger than all the calculations done by TEPCO regarding the safety assessments for the plant. These were based on a magnitude 7.85 quake caused by a 131 kilometer long fault near Sado Island in Niigata and a 3.3 meter-high tsunami. To endure this, an embankment was under construction to resist tsunami waves up to 15 meters high. The recalculation could have consequences for the stress tests and safety assessments for the plant.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant | 2011–2012: Survey on tsunamis in the past
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March, prefectural and municipal elections in the most affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima and municipal (mayor and assembly) elections in Mito, Ibaraki were temporarily postponed. The elections for governor and assembly of Iwate were held on September 11, 2011. The assembly elections in Miyagi and Fukushima were held in November 2011.
2011 Japanese unified local elections | Background
The area was badly affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Large portions of the coastal area including Sendai Airport was severely damaged by the tsunami. On March 14, rescue workers arrived in an area of Natori known as Yuriage and found few survivors, as much of the Yuriage area was wiped out. The population had 30 minutes between the earthquake and the tsunami and though many had time to escape city officials initially said it was impossible to determine the number of casualties.
Natori, Miyagi | Damage and casualties from 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
In the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami that followed, the outer housings of two of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma exploded followed by a partial meltdown and fires at three of the other units. Many residents were evacuated to nearby localities due to the development of a large evacuation zone around the plant. Radiation levels near the plant peaked at 400 mSv/h (millisieverts per hour) after the earthquake and tsunami, due to damage sustained. This resulted in increased recorded radiation levels across Japan. On April 11, 2011, officials upgraded the disaster to a level 7 out of a possible 7, a rare occurrence not seen since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
Fukushima Prefecture | Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
The largest individual recording in Japan was 2.7 g, in Miyagi Prefecture, 75 km from the epicentre; the highest reading in the Tokyo metropolitan area was 0.16 g.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Energy
Near the end of World War II, Kumamto experienced several air raids, and the greatest one on the night of June 30 to July 1, 1945. About one third of the city was burned, and more than 300 people died. After the war, there were a considerable number of floods due to typhoons, possibly exacerbated by deforestation and delay in river control. In June 1953, there was a combination of Mount Aso eruption and floods, causing debris to flow into the center of Kumamoto city, and more than 500 people died in Kumamoto Prefecture. Various dams, such as Ichifusa dam, Midorikawa dam, Ryumon dam, have been constructed to prevent another disaster.
History of Kumamoto Prefecture | Disasters
The Sanuki Mountains run along the northern border of the prefecture. As of April 1, 2012, 9% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai National Park; Muroto-Anan Kaigan and Tsurugisan Quasi-National Parks; and Chūbu Sankei, Dochū-Kōtsu, Hashikura, Higashi Sankei, Okumiyagawa-Uchidani, and Ōasayama Prefectural Natural Parks.
Tokushima Prefecture | Geography
Japan has had a long history of earthquake catastrophe and seismic activity. In the past twenty years, the most severe earthquake that occurred was the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Natural disasters in Japan | Earthquakes
Onagawa was one of the most heavily damaged communities by the 11 March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami reached in excess of in height and swept inland, claiming 827 lives and destroying 70% of the buildings in the town. At least 12 of the town's 25 designated evacuation sites were inundated by the tsunami. The town's hospital located on a hill was extensively flooded on the first floor at the maximum recorded wave height of 18 meters. Six reinforced concrete buildings in the town of up to 4 stories in height were overturned by the force of the surging water and debris and Onagawa Station and its nearby railway tracks were also destroyed.
Onagawa, Miyagi | 2011 earthquake and tsunami
In the 2011 Tōhoku Disaster (東北地方太平洋沖地震 "Tōhoku-chihō Taiheiyō Oki Jishin") on March 11, the large Shrine Torii (鳥居) gate was completely destroyed after it collapsed from the shock. Many of the shrine's large stone lanterns also fell over during the tremors and the water level of the pond at the back of the shrine also decreased. None of the treasures or Important Cultural Properties were damaged. In January 2012 construction of a new Torii (鳥居) gate began using Japanese Sugi (杉) Cedars from the grounds of the shrine. The work was scheduled to be completed in 2014.
Kashima Shrine | 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake
The accompanying tsunami caused damage along the entire coast from the Bōsō Peninsula in modern-day Chiba Prefecture to Tosa Province (modern-day Kōchi Prefecture). The earthquake and tsunami also struck Shimoda on Izu peninsula; and because the port had just been designated as the prospective location for a U.S. consulate, some construed the natural disasters as demonstration of the displeasure of the "kami". The 1854 Nankai earthquake followed on December 24, 1854, killing over 10,000 people from the Tōkai region down to Kyushu, and the 1855 earthquake in Edo, one of the Ansei great earthquakes, with resulting fire damage and loss of life.
Tokugawa Iesada | "Shōgun" (1853–1858)
Tateno dam is under construction. The 1973 Taiyo Department Store fire occurred in the center of Kumamoto City. The fire started at 1:15 pm on November 29, 1973; and 103 people died. After the fire, national regulations pertaining to the construction of buildings were strengthened, one of which was the building of external steps outside of the high-storied buildings.
History of Kumamoto Prefecture | Disasters
As of late March, 8,800 temporary units were planned in Iwate, 10,000 in Miyagi, and 19,000 in Fukushima.
Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Humanitarian crisis
Across Tokushima Prefecture, 3 people were killed and 44 homes were damaged while 25 other homes were destroyed. Elsewhere, across Kochi Prefecture, 142 homes were damaged and an additional 452 were destroyed. Three people were also killed and another was injured. The storm dropped heavy rains in Ehime Prefecture for a 36-hour period, resulting in 17 landslides and the cancellation of 16 flights. Throughout the prefecture, 119 houses were damaged and 10 others were destroyed. In Oita Prefecture, a landslide destroyed a home in Honyabakei, killing three. In Hiroshima Prefecture, 18,060 households lost power after 934 power lines were downed while 713 homes were damaged and 54 were destroyed.
Tropical Storm Ofelia (1993) | Introduction
In the 1960s, ironworks, Steelmaking, cement, chemical industry, pulp, and petroleum refining industries began developing. The region is traditionally known as a less developed area of Japan. The catastrophic 9.0-Magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, inflicted massive damage along the east coast of this region, killed 15,894 people and was the costliest natural disaster ever which left 500,000 people homeless along with radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
Tōhoku region | Contemporary period
Several months later, officials announced that although the area nearest the melt down were still off limits, areas near the twenty kilometer radial safe zone could start seeing a return of the close to 47,000 residents that had been evacuated.
Fukushima Prefecture | Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
A station in Mikado observed 61 mm (2.40 in) of rain in a one-hour period, greater than any other measurement in Japan over the same time period. In that prefecture, 1,000 homes were left without power. Two people were killed and 27 others were injured. Damage figures in Miyazaki reached JP¥38.8 billion (US$353 million). The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force was dispatched in both Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures to rescue impacted persons and search for missing people. In Kumamoto Prefecture, 100 homes were left without power. Roads and transportation routes became blocked due to the rains and numerous landslides. Damage there reached JP¥1.9 billion (US$17.4 million), and though no deaths occurred, there were seven injuries.
Typhoon Chaba (2004) | Kyushu and outlying islands
In the Nara period, after the establishment of a centralized government under the "Ritsuryō" system, the Yamato court sent a number of military expeditions to what is now the Tōhoku region of northern Japan to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. In what is now Miyagi Prefecture, a civil administration was established in the form of a provincial capital and regional administrative centers in the late 6th century; however, a massive Emishi uprising occurred in 709 AD during which time many of these structures were destroyed. Per the "Shoku Nihongi", following a huge earthquake in the year 715 AD, a large number of people migrated to this area from the southern Kantō region, forming numerous fortified settlements in the hinterland.
Taga Castle | History
On Nishino-shima Island in Honshu's Shimane Prefecture, precipitation caused the deterioration of surface sediments, resulting in landslides that damaged several buildings. Agricultural damage totaled to ¥660,000 (US$5,500), and three flights were cancelled at Oki Airport. Multiple landslides occurred in Miyagi Prefecture. In Kesennuma, the rains triggered a rockfall, prompting evacuations and damaging a home. A second rockfall incident occurred on June 2, destroying several buildings. Residents of Ogachi and Ishinomaki were ordered to evacuate due to the threat of additional rockfalls and landslides, . In both Hino and Kurayoshi, Tottori, heavy rain caused damage to roads and farmland erosion. The precipitation also caused a river to flow over its banks, flooding adjacent land.
Tropical Storm Linfa (2003) | Japan
One of the worst natural disasters to hit Japan in a decade, Typhoon Hajibis left Honshu island in destruction when it brought heavy rainfalls that triggered landslides and floods. The unprecedented downpour has submerged many areas in the waters strong wind and saw 7 million people placed on non-compulsory evacuation orders. More than 40,000 houses were flooded, and numerous electric infrastructures were damaged. For 19 weeks, Mercy Relief and its ground partner, Association for Aid and Relief Japan, gave out hot meals to the communities in Nagano, Fukushima, and Miyagi prefecture. Subsequently, it also funded the repair work of facilities in 2 social welfare centers, and a research project centered on understanding the needs of disabled people in Tokyo.
Mercy Relief | 2019 Typhoon Hagibis
754 cultural properties were damaged across nineteen prefectures, including five National Treasures (at Zuigan-ji, Ōsaki Hachiman-gū, Shiramizu Amidadō, and Seihaku-ji); 160 Important Cultural Properties (including at Sendai Tōshō-gū, the Kōdōkan, and Entsū-in, with its western decorative motifs); one hundred and forty-four Monuments of Japan (including Matsushima, Takata-matsubara, Yūbikan, and the Site of Tagajō); six Groups of Traditional Buildings; and four Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties. Stone monuments at the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Shrines and Temples of Nikkō were toppled. In Tokyo, there was damage to Koishikawa Kōrakuen, Rikugien, Hamarikyū Onshi Teien, and the walls of Edo Castle. Information on the condition of collections held by museums, libraries and archives is still incomplete.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Cultural properties
Degraded living conditions and separation from support networks are likely contributing factors. , the Fukushima prefecture government counted 2,129 "disaster-related deaths" in the prefecture. This value exceeds the number that have died in Fukushima prefecture directly from the earthquake and tsunami. "Disaster-related deaths" are deaths attributed to disasters and are not caused by direct physical trauma, but does not distinguish between people displaced by the nuclear disaster compared to the earthquake / tsunami. As of year 2016, among those deaths, 1368 have been listed as "related to the nuclear power plant" according to media analysis. Reports have pointed out that many of these deaths may have been caused by the evacuation period being too long, and that residents could have been allowed to return to their homes earlier in order to reduce the total related death toll.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster casualties | Introduction
Urayasu was greatly affected by the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The reclaimed land across most of northern Chiba Prefecture was damaged by soil liquefaction in the earthquake. Urayasu, with major areas of reclaimed land, had as much as 85% of the utility infrastructure, roads, buildings, and houses damaged or affected to some degree by soil liquefaction. The damage cost the city approximately ¥73.4 billion to repair.
Urayasu | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The final death toll was 1,656 killed and 223 missing and presumed dead. Portions of the city subsided by over a meter.
Rikuzentakata, Iwate | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Niigata Prefecture has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recorded history. Notable recent ones include a large quake on June 16, 1964 that had a magnitude of 7.5, killing 28, where major liquefaction had occurred and tsunami destroyed the port of Niigata city. There was also the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake, both striking shortly after major typhoons passed by, causing complications.
2004 Chūetsu earthquake | History
In 1990-91, the line was severed for a year by landslides caused by torrential rain, with a further eight-month period of disruption occurring in 1993-94. A three-month period of disruption occurred in 2004, and the line was severed from July 2012 until August 2013 due to further landslides induced by torrential rainfall. In 2016, the Kumamoto Earthquakes damage resulted in the closure of the section between Higo Ozu and Aso. The line has been restored since 8 August 2020.
Hōhi Main Line | Damages by natural disasters
During this earthquake, more than half of the 225 residential buildings on the Gemanjie Island in the western part of Fukuoka city, near the epicenter, suffered serious damage. The island was particularly hard hit because it near to the quake and traditional Japanese homes are less vulnerable to earthquakes than "mansions" that are built by engineers. In Kaido, about 120 homes were destroyed and another 55 damaged partially. ITraditional Japanese houses, particularly in the areas of Daimyō and Imaizumi, were the most heavily damaged and many were marked for demolition. Insurance payments for damage were estimated at approximately 15.8 billion yen.
2005 Fukuoka earthquake | Architecture
Miyazaki Prefecture asked the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to send a disaster relief delegation to the prefecture. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama participated in a memorial service for Minamata disease (a poisoning caused by industrial mercury pollution) in Kumamoto Pref which is located adjacent to Miyazaki Prefecture. During his visit, he made an inspection of a rush (tatami mat grass) farm, but never visited Miyazaki. On May 2, there were 15 infected cattle and 8,974 affected cattle due to be slaughtered. On May 3, the 17th infected animal was confirmed. 9,000 cattle were due to be slaughtered.
Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak | May 1 to 11
The hypocentral region of this earthquake extended from offshore Iwate Prefecture to offshore Ibaraki Prefecture. The Japanese Meteorological Agency said that the earthquake may have ruptured the fault zone from Iwate to Ibaraki with a length of and a width of . Analysis showed that this earthquake consisted of a set of three events. Other major earthquakes with tsunamis struck the Sanriku Coast region in 1896 and in 1933. The source area of this earthquake has a relatively high coupling coefficient surrounded by areas of relatively low coupling coefficients in the west, north, and south. From the averaged coupling coefficient of 0.5–0.8 in the source area and the seismic moment, it was estimated that the slip deficit of this earthquake was accumulated over a period of 260–880 years, which is consistent with the recurrence interval of such great earthquakes estimated from the tsunami deposit data.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Geology
Minamisōma was partially inundated by the tsunami which resulted from the Tōhoku earthquake on March 11, 2011, and suffered heavy damage. As of April 9, 2011, 400 residents were confirmed dead, with 1,100 missing. Minamisōma is about north of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Much of the city lies within the 30 kilometer mandated evacuation zone near the plant, and thus most of the residents were forced to leave. Approximately a week after the earthquake Minamisōma was in the news again as the town's mayor Katsunobu Sakarai asserted that his people had been "abandoned" in the wake of orders for all remaining residents to stay in their homes inside the exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Minamisōma | 2011 earthquake and tsunami
Landslides triggered by this earthquake crushed structures, buried people, cut off access to certain roads, and isolated some rural communities. Mud from landslides dammed up rivers to form lakes called . By June 19, the Ministry of Land had identified fifteen quake lakes in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, and work crews began draining three of them which were at high risk of overflow or breach from rain or aftershocks.
2008 Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku earthquake | Landslides
The dead and missing amounted to 12,000 people, and more than 2,000 houses were destroyed on Ishigaki and Miyakojima. It has been estimated Agriculture was severely damaged because of sea water invasion and the population decreased to about one third of what it was before the earthquake. On Ishigaki island, the run-up was first estimated around 40 to 80 meters high from historical documents. However, taking into account the rough precision of the measuring instruments at this time and considering geomorphological parameters, the maximal run-up has been re-estimated to ~30m. Following the tsunami, the damage it caused was such that it led to a famine that lasted for 80 years.
1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami | Tsunami
In 1634, there was a considerable famine which may have contributed to the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637. The reduced production of rice was observed occasionally from time to time; 1729 was also the year of famine, and it was recorded that there was only 11% of the mean annual production. In addition to famine, there was a peculiar tsunami. In 1792, a large mountain, Mayu Yama (Maeyama), at the foot of the volcano Mt. Unzen (Nagasaki Prefecture) collapsed with volcanic earthquakes, produced a great tsunami that struck the seashore of Kumamoto Prefecture. In all, 15,000 people died. This was the second largest tsunami in the history of Japan, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami..
History of Kumamoto Prefecture | Famine and tsunami
All of Japan's ports were briefly shut down after the earthquake, though the ones in Tokyo and southwards soon re-opened. Fifteen ports were located in the disaster zone. The north eastern ports of Hachinohe, Sendai, Ishinomaki and Onahama were destroyed, while the Port of Chiba (which serves the hydrocarbon industry) and Japan's ninth-largest container port at Kashima were also affected, though less severely. The ports at Hitachinaka, Hitachi, Soma, Shiogama, Kesennuma, Ofunato, Kamashi and Miyako were also damaged and closed to ships. All 15 ports reopened to limited ship traffic by 29 March 2011. A total of 319 fishing ports, about 10% of Japan's fishing ports, were damaged in the disaster.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Ports
There is no reported damage associated with the earthquake itself. At least 700 houses were washed away at Hiro in present-day Wakayama prefecture and 80 at Arai in what is now Shizuoka prefecture. Castles were reported destroyed or damaged at Tahara on the Atsumi Peninsula; the main keep of Kakegawa Castle was also destroyed. The total number of casualties is uncertain as records are incomplete and contradictory, but estimates are in the order of thousands.
1605 Nankai earthquake | Damage
A total of of arable land was flooded. One person was also injured. Damage in Gunma prefecture amounted to ¥3.8 billion, where 97 roads were destroyed and 38 rivers flooded. Thirty-nine landslides occurred in Tochigi Prefecture. A total of 658 homes were damaged and 76 others were destroyed. Embankments were damaged in 45 locations. Damage there was estimated at ¥14.3 billion. Fifty homes sustained damage in Fukushima Prefecture. Nationwide, 23 fatalities were reported and 11 others sustained injuries. Nearly 200,000 train passengers were stranded. A total 53 houses were destroyed while 4,162 others were flooded. According to the National Police Agency, torrential rains caused 92 landslides, cut 48 roads and washed away four bridges.
Tropical Storm Gladys (1991) | Japan
The eastern, coastal portion of Hirono was inundated by devastating tsunami flood waters following the magnitude 9.0 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami off its coastline on March 11, 2011. Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the town was included in the emergency evacuation preparation zone, as it was just outside the 20 kilometer exclusion zone; however, the town government recommended that all residents evacuate and all civic services were shut down. Although the central government advised that it was safe to return in September 2011, the town government maintained its evacuation recommendation until April 2012. The town hall reopened on March 1, 2012 in preparation for the return of residents and the radioactive decontamination of schools; however, a ban on agriculture remained in place.
Hirono, Fukushima | 2011 earthquake and tsunami
Other significant power outages were reported in the Chūbu region, with Chubu Electric Power reporting 695,320 blackouts. Elsewhere, 16,040 households in the Hokuriku region lost power, and another 14,000 households in the Tōhoku region were left without power. Numerous incidents resulted from Jebi's high winds and heavy rain. In Shiga Prefecture, a man died after the warehouse he was working in collapsed. A man in Osaka was blown off the second floor of a house and fell to his death; at least five more people in the eponymous prefecture were killed by falls or flying debris. Another man died after he fell from a roof in Mie Prefecture.
Typhoon Jebi (2018) | Japan
On May 26, 1983, a caused by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the Sea of Japan killed 107 people, including three in South Korea. Mount Ontake, thought to be inactive, had a series of eruptions in 1980. In 1981, the caldera lake volcano Lake Shikotsu erupted in Hokkaidō, followed in 1982 by Mount Tarumae, which is located on its shores. Mount Kusatsu-Shirane in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, erupted in 1983. The Kaitoku Seamount erupted in 1984, Mount Tokachi—located in Hokkaidō—and Izu-Tobu—located on the Izu Peninsula—erupted in 1989.
1980s in Japan | Natural disasters
Despite the earthquake's great intensity, structural damage to the region was comparatively light; the epicenter was located nearly a hundred kilometers offshore, with most structures in its vicinity reported to be resistant to earthquake shaking. The majority of the destruction was confined to coastal areas, such as sea and fishing ports, mostly inflicted by subsequent tsunami waves. Although soil liquefaction was observed over a broad geological area, it occurred in localized areas almost exclusively limited to man-made embankments. The tremor affected a total of 36 local rivers, including the major Abashiri and Ishikari Rivers. Many properties received considerable damage, and although there were no deaths, 849 people sustained injuries.
2003 Hokkaidō earthquake | Damage and casualties
Hanaguri Ide experienced two big floods; one in July, 1796 and another on June 26, 1953 or 1953 North Kyushu Flood. Especially the latter flood contained volcanic ash due to the eruption of Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture. There was a monument after the reconstruction of the dam as follows.
Hanaguri Ide | Floods
The Japanese authorities advised people from the coastal region of Fukushima to evacuate immediately due to a possible tsunami with waves of up to . Waves of up to a meter in height struck the Fukushima coast about an hour after the earthquake, and public broadcaster NHK reported the presence of a tsunami of at Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture.
2016 Fukushima earthquake | Tsunami
Numerous landslides took place across the mountains of Kyushu, rendering roads impassable, The of the Japan National Route 325 in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa river. A particularly large rockslide was photographed blocking the entirety of a four-lane express-way close to the fallen Great Aso Bridge, leaving a large scar that ran almost completely up the hill that suffered the rockslide. The Aso Shrine was also heavily damaged in the earthquake. The shrine's "rōmon" (tower gate), officially classified as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, and the "haiden" (worshiping hall) both completely collapsed. Kumamoto Castle, another Important Cultural Property sustained damage to its roof and exterior buildings and walls because of the earthquakes and associated aftershocks.
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes | Damage
Business resumed within a day. Japan's Earthquake Research committee said that the earthquake was not the big one that was predicted to strike in the next 30 years. Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant was shut down, with reactor-1 restarting Jan 2006, 2 on March 2006, 3 in 2007.
2005 Miyagi earthquake | Aftermath
Japan is an earthquake prone country, yet records show that only two of the pagodas have collapsed during the past 1,400 years owing to an earthquake. Hanshin earthquake in 1995 killed 6,400 people, toppled elevated highways, flattened office blocks and devastated the port area of Kobe. Yet it left the magnificent five-storey pagoda at the Tō-ji Temple in nearby Kyoto unscathed, though it levelled a number of lower buildings in the neighbourhood. The reason traditionally attributed has been the shinbashira; newer research shows that the very wide eaves also contribute to the inertial stability of the pagoda. Overall deductions have not been very simplistic.
Shinbashira | Earthquake resistance
The epicenter of the major Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 was located off the coast of Aji Island and Miyagi Prefecture. The Tōhoku region, including Aji island, suffered serious damage and further reduced the number of residents on an island already suffering from depopulation. The locals are now trying to rebuild the island and increase population levels. Agriculture is the main focus of the island's rejuvenation. Locals encourage agriculture and many of them have worked the fields themselves. The goal is for local farmers to make a living with their agriculture.
Aji Island | March 2011 earthquake
Across Okinawa, power lines were downed in 1,035 spots and agricultural damage totaled to ¥926 million yen, mostly from sugar cane, vegetables, and flowers. On the eastern end of Japan’s Shikoku Island, in Tokushima Prefecture, 687 homes were damaged and an additional 121 houses were destroyed. There, three people were killed and 14 were wounded as the bus they were riding in was struck by a landslide. A block wall of a house collapsed in Nakamura, injuring one person. Throughout Kōchi Prefecture, 81 homes were damaged. Damage in the prefecture amounted to ¥279 million yen. Heavy rains in Miyazaki Prefecture triggered 11 landslides.
Typhoon Hattie (1990) | Impact
It is not known to this day whether the collapse occurred as a result of an eruption of the dome or as a result of the earthquakes. The tsunami struck Higo Province on the other side of Ariake Bay before bouncing back and hitting Shimabara again. Out of an estimated total of 15,000 fatalities, around 5,000 are thought to have been killed by the landslide, around 5,000 by the tsunami across the bay in Higo Province, and a further 5,000 by the tsunami returning to strike Shimabara. The waves reached a height of , classing this tsunami as a small megatsunami.
1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami | Megatsunami
Subsequent analysis found that many Japanese nuclear plants, including Fukushima Daiichi, were not adequately protected against tsunamis. Over 200,000 people were evacuated. The aftershock on 7 April caused the loss of external power to Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and Higashidori Nuclear Power Plant but backup generators were functional. Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant lost three of its four external power lines and temporarily lost cooling function in its spent fuel pools for "20 to 80 minutes". A spill of "up to 3.8 litres" of radioactive water also occurred at Onagawa following the aftershock. A report by the IAEA in 2012 found that the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, the closest nuclear plant to the epicenter of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, had remained largely undamaged.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Nuclear power plants
The database is the main repository for archival material related to the 2011 disasters and is also a hub for disaster records collected by various other municipalities and for records relating to other Japanese natural disasters. It provides access to more than 3,7 million records related to earthquakes and other natural disasters in Japan (notably the Kumamoto Earthquake). The records consist of reports, photographs, scientific papers, and many others. However, the content hosted by HINAGIKU might partly be in jeopardy. Indeed, considering the fact that many of the disaster archives that were built during the early months succeeding May 2011 entirely depended on temporary funds, many of those archives might close someday.
Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | National Diet Library
Hardest hit were what is now Hazu District: Nishio city, Kira town, Anjō city, Hekinan city and Gamagōri city. The confirmed death toll was 1,180, with an additional 1,126 missing and 3,866 injured. As the earthquake occurred in the middle of the night, and towards the end of the war when fuel supplies were very low, only two houses were lost to fire, but 7,221 houses were totally destroyed, and 16,555 were severely damaged.
1945 Mikawa earthquake | Damage
In Japan, the National Police Agency has confirmed and across twenty prefectures. In addition, some three thousands extra deaths have been identified as "earthquake-related deaths", bringing the total number of deaths caused by the disaster to 19,575 as of 2017 September. Of the 13,135 fatalities recovered by 11 April 2011, 12,143 or 92.5% died by drowning. Victims aged 60 or older accounted for 65.2% of the deaths, with 24% of total victims being in their 70s. As of March 2012, Japanese police data showed that 70% of the 3,279 still missing were aged 60 or over, all found, including 893 in their 70s and 577 in their 80s.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Japan
Hence all food grown in that area was banned from being sold. People in the “surroundings were moved to safe shelters,” and 3 people were affected by the radiation alone. Luckily, the “Japanese government [handled] the situation in the most efficient and amazing way that anyone can imagine.” A recent example of a disaster area caused by a natural hazard is Hurricane Sandy which hit October 27, 2012. It was the most devastating storm in decades hitting the United States. The storm killed about 50 people and many were also hit by falling trees. The hardest-hit state was New York, leaving millions without power and a few homeless.
Disaster area | Examples of modern disaster areas
No nuclear power plants were shut down following this earthquake unlike the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake quake. Some water was found to have splashed out of a reaction container in the Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant possibly due to the tremor, but no radioactive material was released to the environment.
2008 Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku earthquake | Electric power supply
A middle school student was found dead in Aichi Prefecture after being swept away via floodwaters. A total of 8,797 homes were destroyed and 4,618 were damaged. There, 121 landslides were also reported. One hundred-thirty-nine homes were damaged and two more were destroyed in Gifu Prefecture, which resulted in nine people homeless. Damage there amounted to ¥732 million. Two people sustained injuries in Ibaraki Prefecture. There, a total of 2,782 homes were damaged and 466 others were destroyed, resulting in almost 65,000 individuals displaced from their homes. Nearly of farmland were damaged in Saitama Prefecture, totaling ¥1.96 billion. Fifteen homes sustained damage in Gunma prefecture while one hundred sixty-eight others were damaged in Tochigi Prefecture.
Tropical Storm Luke (1991) | Impact
The Fujinuma irrigation dam in Sukagawa ruptured, causing flooding and the washing away of five homes. Eight people were missing and four bodies were discovered by the morning. Reportedly, some locals had attempted to repair leaks in the dam before it completely failed. On 12 March 252 dams were inspected and it was discovered that six embankment dams had shallow cracks on their crests. The reservoir at one concrete gravity dam suffered a small non-serious slope failure. All damaged dams are functioning with no problems. Four dams within the quake area were unreachable. When the roads clear, experts will be dispatched to conduct further investigations.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Dams and water problems