In March 2011, Japan experienced the most powerful earthquake in its recorded history, followed by a devastating tsunami. The Tohoku tsunami produced waves reaching heights of 40 meters (132 feet) and resulted in over 15,500 fatalities. More than 450,000 people were displaced due to the floods, and the destruction extended to infrastructure across the nation, including the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which forced even more individuals and businesses to evacuate.
The aftermath of this disaster continues to affect people today, and with countless lives and homes lost, the emotional scars of the survivors may never fully heal. Here are just a few of the many stories.
Diving Ever Since the 2011 Tsunami
Yasuo Takamatsu lost his wife, Yuko, during the catastrophic tsunami in March 2011. Less than two years later, he obtained a high-level diving license that permits him to conduct underwater searches and cleanups. Since the authorities had not recovered his wife’s body, he resolved to undertake the search himself.
The couple married in 1988 and had two children, both of whom survived the tsunami. At the time of the disaster, Yuko was working at a bank. Her employer instructed employees to go to the roof for safety, but the building was too short to withstand the enormous wave. Her last message to Yasuo stated: “Are you alright? I want to go home.”
Two years later, a rescue team found Yuko’s cell phone, which revealed the true final message that never sent in time: “The tsunami is huge.” This highlighted the terror his wife must have felt in her last moments and reinvigorated Yasuo’s determination to fulfill her final wish to bring her home, even if only a part of her. He is committed to searching for her for as long as he can, expressing that he feels closest to her when he is underwater.
“She told him to survive…”
Yoshihito Sasaki, 70, lost his home to the tsunami. He served as a principal at an elementary school. After ensuring the safety of his students and confirming that one of his sons was alive, he began searching for his wife and younger son. Tragically, his 28-year-old son Jinya was a “hikikomori” (recluse) who had stayed home during the disaster. He had hoped that his wife, Mikiko, had survived, so he searched through all the evacuation centers. It took weeks for responders to recover her body.
He later discovered that Mikiko had tried to persuade Jinya to leave, but he refused to see anyone. Mikiko managed to escape to a neighbor’s roof with their elder son, Yoichi, but both were eventually swept away. “I asked my son what my wife said to him at the end,” Sasaki recalled. The last time Yoichi saw his mother, she was clinging to debris and calling out to him. “He told me that she was screaming for him to live. She told him to survive.” Yoichi drifted on wreckage for hours before being rescued.
Since then, Sasaki has studied and written about hikikomori and has also started a support group for parents who have experienced similar situations. He regrets not doing more to assist Jinya with his condition. “I thought maybe time would solve things, but I know now that’s not the case. There are things you want to forget but can’t. Some memories, those key memories in your mind, are actually more vivid now.”
A Lawsuit Against a School
Yairi Sato was a kindergartener who tragically lost her life in the 2011 tsunami while she was at school. At the time of the earthquake, the teachers placed her and four other students on a bus that took them closer to the coast. After three days of searching, Mika Sato discovered her daughter’s remains. The parents were all looking for their missing children amid the debris, which included the burned remnants of the school bus. “By the time we found them, all that was left of her was as small as a baby,” said Sato. “We were so afraid the wind would blow them away.”
The parents sought answers about what happened that day and even filed a lawsuit against the school to get clarification, but they still didn’t receive a clear explanation for why the staff sent the children on a bus toward the coast. The teachers claimed they didn’t hear the tsunami siren. Part of the settlement involved the now-closed school accepting legal responsibility and agreeing to apologize to the families. Although Sato has received flowers, she never got a formal apology.
“I’ll be waiting for you”
Migaku Kumagai, 71, went missing during the tsunami. Three months later, his wife, Sachiko, began writing letters to him. She has penned hundreds of these letters, often detailing the weather, the breakfast she prepared for him, and asking about his whereabouts. At times, she writes as if from Migaku’s perspective, offering herself encouragement: “Mama-chan, I won’t be able to return even if you keep brooding over it… I’ll be waiting for you, you can do it, you can.”
In 2017, Sachiko eventually filed her husband’s death certificate before passing away a year later. In one of her last letters, she appeared to have come to terms with her loss. “Good morning Migaku-san. Not many days left in the year. Seems like we’ll finish out another year without finding you … Wouldn’t it be a miracle if you wander back to the Ono Bay? I’ve heard miracles exist, but it doesn’t seem to in this disaster.”
Saved By Debris
Yoichi from Rikuzentakata had a feeling that a tsunami would follow the earthquake, prompting him to quickly take his parents to a shelter before heading back to check on his neighbors. Upon hearing the news about the approaching tsunami, Yoichi and his wife, Tasuko, hurried to another shelter but were denied entry due to debris. They then ran to a schoolyard situated on higher ground, where they witnessed the wave devastate the entire neighborhood and most of Rikuzentakata, including the shelter where his parents were.
Saving Himself and Others
When the earthquake struck, Toru was at a factory close to the Ishinomaki coast. After feeling the first tremor, he hurried to his car to escape what he believed would be a tsunami.
“First I headed toward my home, which was on high ground, but I was soon caught in a traffic jam,” Toru recounted. “I heard on the car radio that the tsunami had already reached a nearby city. I opened my car window so that I could escape if it hit my area. Soon a huge wall of black water over six feet (2 m) high came rushing toward me. The cars in front of me were hurled back into mine, and we were all washed far inland.”
Fortunately, Toru managed to climb out through the window before being swept away. “I was thrown into an auto repair shop, where I grabbed hold of a staircase and climbed onto the second floor. With great effort, I was able to pull three people to safety. A few of us survived the rising water and the cold, snowy night.” However, they felt regret for not being able to rescue others they heard calling for help.