The 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake, also known as the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake, occurred on May 26． It was 7.8 magnitude and occurred in the Sea of Japan. The tsunami caused 104 deaths, 100 caused by the quake. The tsunami hit communities along the coast, primarily in Aomori and Akita Prefectures and the east coast of Noto Peninsula.
There are three things to share about the tsunami disaster.
The first is the tsunami-generated location, the second is the broadcasting, and the third is the victims of school children. First, there was an ancient tradition that tsunamis never hit the coast of the Sea of Japan. This normalcy bias* exacerbates the damage. The second was the first tsunami disaster broadcast worldwide during that time. The people who had home videos also contributed to the media. The tsunami warning system, which provides wireless tsunami information from the Sea of Japan to the local area to inform local people, was improved after the event. Third, 43 schoolchildren were hit, and 13 passed away. They were on an excursion. The school teacher could not do anything during that time. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster also had teacher-related issues. Both tsunamis were daytime.
After the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, we started collecting information on the tide gauge records around the Indian Ocean. In 2008, we also discussed the emergency management aspects for future possible tsunamis in the Indian Ocean at Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC)*, International Tsunami Information Center**(ITIC), and Univ. of Hawaii Sea Level Center(UHSLC)***.
*Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
We can confirm the present tsunami warning information.
The PTWC is the world’s core center for tsunami warnings.
As you may know, the tsunami is a Japanese word. The name comes from the Hiro village (many Japanese settlers lived there) in Hawaii, severely affected by the tsunami in 1968. The villagers called the wave “Tsunami.”
**International Tsunami Information Center
They have important historical tide gauge records.
***University of Hawaii Sea Level Center http://uhslc.soest.hawaii.edu/
We can confirm the sea level is rising around the globe.
Extra……..(^^)
The famous Hitachi company’s symbol image tree in Hawaii was found.
Large tsunamis are caused by significant earthquakes of magnitude eight or greater. In particular, such earthquakes frequently occur along the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and Tohoku in Japan. The Sanriku coast in this region has a unique shape called a “rias coast,” which is prone to tsunamis. In the 1896 Meiji Sanriku tsunami, the tsunami reached a height of 38 meters and killed about 22,000 people. Thirty-seven years later, in 1933, another major tsunami, the Showa Sanriku tsunami, struck the region, killing approximately 3,000 people. 2011’s Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami did not fully apply the lessons of the past, leaving approximately 18,000 people dead or missing.
The time between an earthquake and a tsunami reaching the coast is very short, from 5 to 10 minutes. Running to higher ground quickly is almost the only way to protect yourself from a tsunami. The tsunami will reach the coast where it is the highest and also get to the coast the fastest. Therefore, instead of waiting for information from the outside, it is essential to have knowledge about tsunamis, understand your surroundings, and act on your judgment.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) disaster is the deadliest disaster after the Second World War in Japan. The earthquake happened at 2:46 p.m. on March 11th, 2011. The total casualty number is 19,846 based on the EM-DAT. The maximum . tsunami height is 40m on the Sanriku Ria Coast. The first wave arrives approximately 30 minutes after the earthquake.
The Sanriku areas have a special geographical condition mentioned as the Sanriku Ria Coast. The coast has mountains close to the sea, so residential areas are limited only in the narrow and lower zones near the sea, and the areas become very vulnerable against the tsunamis. The bays on the coast are small, and the sea inside the bays is very deep. This makes tsunamis faster and higher, which is why the Sanriku Ria Coast has the highest tsunami risk area in the world.
Because of these characteristics, the communities on the Sanriku Ria coast, mainly in Iwate prefecture, have historically been severely affected by tsunami disasters such as the Meiji Sanriku Tsunami (1896), Sowa Sanriku Tsunami (1933), and Chilean Earthquake Tsunami (1960), compared to the flat coast mainly in Miyagi prefecture and other areas in Japan.
I will explain a little bit about the Meiji (1896). This disaster is so-called a surprise attack. The tsunami disaster happened at approximately . 7:30 p.m. on June 15, 1896, mainly on the Sanriku Ria coast. The dead and missing number has been reported at over 22,000. The earthquake is not so strong (the Japanese earthquake scale indicates Shindo 1-2); however, the tsunami is very strong and high (the maximum height is 38.2m in the Ayasato area (present-day Ofunato city)) compared to the earthquake movement scale. This has severe impacts.We call this huge tsunami caused by a weak earthquake Tsunami Earthquake. The first wave arrives approximately 35 meters after the earthquake. The Meiji (1896) has been the worst tsunami disaster ever in Japan.
In 1611, the larger tsunami (Keicho Sanriku Tsunami*) than Meiji hit the Sanriku area. That could also be a “tsunami earthquake.” After that, every 40 years, the people in the area tended to have a big tsunami. Even though they had such experiences, they did not have good tsunami disaster countermeasures, and the tsunami was a “tsunami earthquake.” In addition, they had some ancient traditions, like the idea that a tsunami was a punishment from the gods and Buddha. These are the main causes that made the Meiji worse.
