Devastation in Japan: The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster

On 11 March 2011, a 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Japan, kicking off a series of events that shook Japan and the world. The earthquake gave rise to a tsunami, which rushed across coastal areas at 500 mph. The cost in human lives was horrifying, but the waves also caused a meltdown at a nuclear reactor. Devastation in Japan: The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster brings the horrors of the event and the implications of the lasting damage into the classroom. Devastation in Japan provides the historical and economic content of the earthquake and tsunami, and the cultural response of the Japanese and the world. It also provides an opportunity to students to explore important concepts, such as the pros and cons of nuclear power, the effects of radiation exposure on people and the environment, and the rippling effects of the disaster on the world economy.