Earthquake Damage

Earthquake damage by NOAA – Unsplash

10 of the Deadliest Natural Disasters that happened in Japan


 

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.

Japan is the country that is most affected by natural disasters mainly due to it being in the Ring of Fire. Two out of the five most expensive natural disasters in recent history have occurred in Japan, in 1995 and 2011, costing $181 billion. Japan has also been the site of some of the 10 worst natural disasters of the 21st century. Many types of natural disasters occur in Japan such as tsunamis, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, cyclones, and even volcanic eruptions. The country has gone through thousands of years of natural disasters, affecting its economy, development, and social life.

Here are 10 of the Deadliest Natural Disasters that happened in Japan.

1. The Great Kantō earthquake

The Great Kantō earthquake struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms and even a fire whirl added to the death toll. Racist civil unrest after the disaster i.e., the Kantō Massacre has been documented. 

Many homes were buried or swept away by landslides in the mountainous and hilly coastal areas in western Kanagawa Prefecture; about 800 people died. A collapsing mountainside in the village of Nebukawa, west of Odawara, pushed the entire village and a passenger train carrying over 100 passengers, along with the railway station, into the sea. 

2. The Siebold typhoon

A wreck from a natural disaster

A wreck from a natural disaster by Gita Dhoj Karki – Wikimedia Commons

The Siebold typhoon was a typhoon that struck Japan on September 17, 1828. There were 19,113 confirmed deaths, according to the official report. This is the worst storm in Japanese history.

According to the official report, the typhoon’s estimated central pressure was 935hPa, with a maximum wind speed of 198 kilometers (123 mi). A storm surge occurred in the Ariake Sea and in Hakata Bay. The official death toll was 19,113, and 18,625 were injured. The heaviest damage occurred at Saga, Omura, Yanagawa, and Fukuoka. 

3. The 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami

The 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami resulted from the volcanic activities of Mount Unzen on 21 May. This caused the collapse of the southern flank of the Mayuyama dome in front of Mount Unzen, resulting in a tremendous megatsunami, killing 15,000 people altogether.

It is not known whether the collapse occurred as a result of an eruption of the dome or as a result of the earthquakes. The tsunami struck Higo Province on the other side of Ariake Bay before bouncing back and hitting Shimabara again. Out of an estimated total of 15,000 fatalities, around 5,000 are thought to have been killed by the landslide, around 5,000 by the tsunami across the bay in Higo Province, and a further 5,000 by the tsunami returning to strike Shimabara.

4. The Great Fire of Hakodate

Forest Fire

Forest Fire by Landon Parenteau – Unsplash

The Great Fire of Hakodate is a fire that broke out in Hakodate, Hokkaido in Japan on March 21, 1934. It is one of the worst city fires in Japan. 

On March 21, 1934, a fire was started in a house located within the Sumiyoshi area, Hakodate. Over two days, burning debris, fanned by strong winds, set fire to the surrounding areas including a local court, department store, school, and hospital. According to official documents, 2,166 people lost their lives, with 9,485 injured; 145,500 people were made homeless, and 11,055 buildings were lost.

5. Tenmei eruption of Mount Asama

Mount Asama is an active complex volcano in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The volcano is the most active on Honshū. The Japan Meteorological Agency classifies Mount Asama as rank A. It stands 2,568 meters (8,425 ft) above sea level on the border of Gunma and Nagano prefectures. It is included in 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.

The geologic features of this active volcano are closely monitored with seismographs and strategically positioned video cameras. Scientists have noted a range of textural variety in the ash which has been deposited in the region during the serial eruptions since the Tennin eruption of 1108.

6. The 1953 Wakayama flood

Floods causing cars to sink

Floods causing cars to sink by Chris Gallagher – Unsplash

The 1953 Wakayama flood was caused by heavy rain that resulted in landslides and flooding in the Kii Peninsula, Wakayama Prefecture in Japan in July 1953. The collapse of the dikes occurred along many rivers, which caused flooding. It resulted in the deaths of 713 people and 411 people went missing.

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 (as of 1 October 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,724 square kilometers (1,824 sq mi). Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to the northeast. 

7. The 1888 eruption of Mount Bandai 

The 1888 eruption of Mount Bandai was a major volcanic eruption that occurred during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. The eruption occurred on July 15, 1888, pyroclastic flows buried villages on the northern foot of the mountain and devastated the eastern part of the Bandai region, Iwashiro Province (now part of Fukushima Prefecture) north of Tokyo.

At least 477 people were killed, and hundreds more were injured and rendered homeless in what became the worst volcanic disaster in recent Japanese history.

8. 2018 Japan floods

Floods

Floods by USDA NRCS Montana – Wikimedia Commons

In late June through mid-July 2018, successive heavy downpours in southwestern Japan resulted in widespread, devastating floods and mudflows. As of 20 July, 225 people were confirmed dead across 15 prefectures with a further 13 people reported missing.

More than 8 million people were advised or urged to evacuate across 23 prefectures. It is the deadliest freshwater flood-related disaster in the country since the 1982 Nagasaki flood when 299 people died.

9. The 2005 JR Amagasaki derailment 

The 2005 JR Amagasaki derailment occurred in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time, just after the local rush hour. It occurred when a seven-car commuter train came off the tracks on West Japan Railway Company’s (JR West) Fukuchiyama Line just before Amagasaki Station on its way for Dōshisha-mae via the JR Tōzai Line and the Gakkentoshi Line, and the front two cars rammed into an apartment building. 

The first car slid into the first-floor parking garage and as a result took days to remove, while the second slammed into the corner of the building, being crushed against it by the weight of the remaining cars. Of the roughly 700 passengers, onboard at the time of the crash, 106 passengers, in addition to the driver, were killed and 562 others injured. Most survivors and witnesses claimed that the train appeared to have been traveling too fast. The incident was Japan’s most serious since the 1963 Tsurumi rail accident. 

10. 2014 Hiroshima landslides

On 20 August 2014, Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan was struck by a series of landslides following heavy rain. Seventy-four people were reported dead. According to the police, the dead included three boys aged two, three, and eleven. 

The number missing was reported to be 52 on the morning of 22 August, but in the afternoon it was revised to 47, then to 46 on the morning of the 23rd, and later on the morning of the same day to 43. Burials for two of the youngest victims eleven years old and two years old and the firefighter, were conducted on 22 August.

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