Background Information

• Population approx 127 million - densely populated around coastlines due to mountainous terrain

• Capital city Tokyo (affected by earthquake)

• Archipelago of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean in east Asia

• Global superpower + core economy (4th largest)

• Most seismically monitored country in the world - 400 earthquakes every day

• 11th March 2011 - 14:46

Cause

• Subduction plate boundary - Japan Trench - formed on the boundary of subducting Pacific plate and Eurasian plate

• Pressure builds up - caused undersea megathrust earthquake 70km off coastline Nr Sendai

• Magnitude 9.0 Mw

• Uplift of ocean bed due to ground shaking (primary effect) triggered tsunami (secondary effect)

• Displaced water reached coastline - friction with seabed caused wave height to increase up to 40km

• Waves breached sea walls around Sendai - travelled up to 10km inland

• Magnitude of earthquake caused earth to tilt on its axis by 10-25cm - 400km stretch of coastline dropped by 0.6cm - seabed rose by 7m

• Tsunami waves damaged Fukushima nuclear power station - significant secondary effects of contaminated air and water - loss of electricity

Effects

• Approx 16,000 people died - 90% as a result of tsunami - both the power of the water and the fact that it contained debris from damaged buildings etc

• 75% were over the age of 70 - less able to respond to the disaster - reflects Japan’s population structure

• Approx 6,000 injuries

• Mortuaries overwhelmed with dead bodies - combines with loss of power for crematoriums, many were buried in mass graves without traditional funerals - avoid delays and subsequent risk of disease from decaying bodies

• 100,000 children affected - thousands separated from parents - at school when earthquake struck

• Approx 2,000 children orphaned or lost one of their parents

• Some schools lost up to 75% of their pupils

• Approx 45,000 buildings destroyed - further 143,000 damaged - relatively low given magnitude of earthquake - reflects aseismic building design - significant enough to destroy entire communities

• People permanently relocated following initial displacement

• Destruction of 4 ports - damage to further 11 - impacts ability to trade - loner term impact

• Approx 4.4 million homes lost power - several weeks of power cuts - Fukushima nuclear reactor damaged by tsunami - all 11 nuclear reactors shut down

• Plant since decommissioned necessitating a change in country’s energy mix - coal, oil, renewable energy used to replace nuclear energy supply

• Global impact in increased awareness of the dangers of nuclear energy

• Damage to power station resulted in a 30km evacuation zone around plant - area still not able to be used

• Contamination of ocean water has permanently affected fishing in region

• Significant damage from tsunami - affected communication - people unable to travel to work in immediate aftermath

• Tsunami waves affected entire west coast of Pacific - waves affecting icebergs in Antarctica - 2.4m high waves hit coastline of California and Oregon - caused $10m damage

• Contamination of ocean water from damaged Fukushima nuclear power station affected these regions - long term and global effects

• Most expensive tectonic hazard ever recorded - $181 billion

• Financial cost increased government debt - although remain 3rd largest economy

• 8 years after disaster - country largely recovered - long term effects on nuclear industry, loss of life, relocation of some settlements

Mitigation

• Japan is prepared for earthquakes - particularly following Kobe 1995 earthquake - caused liquefaction destroying their new harbour area)

• Aseismic building designs - steel frames and braces - move without collapsing - rubber shock absorbers in foundations

• Education programme from preschool age - annual earthquake awareness days

• Fire proofing of old wooden buildings

• Land use zoning - open spaces to assemble - avoid areas vulnerable to liquefaction

• Tsunami warning system off coast (buoys) - provide early warning to people via text messaging - audio alarms - provides time to move inland/higher ground - only ever a few minutes to respond

• Sea walls to protect most vulnerable areas

• Building regulations to control building in areas vulnerable to liquefaction

Responses

• Japanese government requested no international aid

• Continued to update procedures in place to mitigate exposure , vulnerability - unlike EDS’s and LIDC’s they have a high degree of resilience to tectonic hazards

Wider Reading

• Widespread fires burned out of control

• Hundreds of buildings have collapsed in north-eastern city of Sendai

• Countries around Pacific Basin on tsunami alert

• A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by tsunami

• Initial quake followed by series of aftershocks - 7.4 magnitude one about 30 minutes later

• Huge fire engulfed an oil refinery in Ichihara, near Tokyo - plumes of smoke rose from at least 10 locations in the city

• 30 international search and rescue teams were prepared to go to Japan