Case Studies of Tsunami Countermeasure Considering Coastal Environment

Abstract

Earthquakes occur frequently in Japan, and Japanese coastal areas are often damaged by tsunami caused by earthquakes. Iwate Prefecture is close to an earthquake zone, and its coastal area has a ria coastline, which has been damaged many times. The Fisheries Agency has undertaken many countermeasures to take precautions against tsunami, but in recent years, the following problems are often seen: (1) There is little space to construct levees near coastal communities. (2) Mammoth levees often spoil the beauty of scenic locations. (3) There are many places without information systems to broadcast tsunami warnings and indicate escape routes. We have been asked to solve these problems. This report describes four countermeasures dealing with the above mentioned problems and suggests the Fisheries Agency’s tsunami countermeasure policy.