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Japan’s Great Wall Against Tsunamis In the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that claimed nearly 20,000 lives, Japan invested $12B to build a 400 km chain of concrete seawalls, some towering 15 meters high. Purpose: Designed to slow tsunamis, buy precious evacuation time and protect vulnerable coastal towns. Challenges: They can’t stop the largest waves, block coastal views, impact fisheries & tourism and leave many locals feeling “walled in.” Community Response: From murals to cultural projects, residents are transforming grey walls into spaces of resilience and expression. Lesson Learned: In one village (Fudai), a decades old 15m floodgate spared the town in 2011 proving preparation matters. Japan’s seawalls reflect the balance between engineering, safety and community life a global case study in disaster resilience.