The Geologist Who Warned Fukushima
Koichi Minoura studied ancient tsunami deposits from the Jogan Event of 869 CE. His research showed massive waves had reached 4 kilometers inland in Japan’s history. The geologist published his findings and urged higher seawalls for coastal nuclear plants. TEPCO ignored his work and built a 5.7-meter wall at Fukushima. When a 15-meter tsunami struck in 2011, it overwhelmed these defenses. The resulting nuclear disaster displaced 160,000 people and caused $235 billion in damages.
