CAN DEVASTATE THE SEACOAST PROTECT JAPAN FROM ANOTHER DEVASTATING TSUNAMI?
Ominous
Views of Japan's New Concrete Seawalls
Author: Michael Hardy
In 2011, a devastating tsunami crashed into the northeast
coast of Japan, destroying entire villages, killing thousands and causing a
meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In the wake of the
disaster, the Japanese government implemented a number of reforms, including
relocating coastal villages to higher land and forbidding further development
along the northeast coastline.
The most controversial of these tsunami prevention measures
was the construction of hundreds of miles of concrete seawalls and breakers
along the most vulnerable stretches of the coast. So far, Japan has spent
approximately $12 billion building towering concrete walls, some as high as 41
feet.
Tokyo-born photographer Tadashi Ono, who now lives in Paris,
traveled to Japan’s northeast coast after the 2011 tsunami to document the
destruction, and recently returned to see how the impacted areas have changed.
(He took the photos while serving as artist-in-residence at L'institut
Français's Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto.) He was shocked by the ominous grey walls
that now line the coast. "What I’m interested in as a photographer is how
they’ve totally shut out the views of the sea," Ono says. "I'm
walking in the sea coast area, I want to take a photo of the coast, but I can’t
see it."
Many local residents make their living in either fishing or
tourism; now, both industries are under threat from the walls. Fishermen worry
they will disrupt runoff from the mountains into the sea, which helps replenish
the water’s rich nutrients. And how many tourists will want to visit the coast
if they can’t actually see the coast? Ono blames the impetus for the massive
infrastructure project on a powerful central government unresponsive to local
concerns, as well as the giant Japanese construction companies who benefit from
massive government contracts.
What’s more, Ono believes the walls are unnecessary. Coastal
villages have already been moved to higher ground. "Before the tsunami
there were towns in those areas, but now nobody lives there—it’s just rice
fields or vacant land. So the seawalls protect nothing," he says.
"They were constructed just to be constructed." Some people have even
argued that seawalls are counterproductive, since they might provide a false
sense of security, discouraging people from moving to higher ground.
On a deeper level, Ono sees the walls as an abandonment of
Japanese history and culture. "Our richness as a civilization is because
of our contact with the ocean," he says. "Japan has always lived with
the sea, and we were protected by the sea. And now the Japanese government has
decided to shut out the sea."
Ominous Views of Japan's New Concrete Seawalls
Only time will tell if walls like this one in Raga Bay,
Iwate prefecture, will protect the Japanese coast from future tsunamis.Tadashi
Ono
1/17Following the 2011 tsunami the Japanese government began
building seawalls like this one in Ofunato Bay, Iwate prefecture.Tadashi Ono
2/17The walls, including this one in Ofunato Bay, Iwate
prefecture, are up to 41 feet high and intended to hold back a tidal
surge.Tadashi Ono
3/17Walls such as this, in Ofunato Bay, Iwate prefecture,
are controversial because of their ecological impact.Tadashi Ono
4/17This wall along Ofunato Bay, in Iwate prefecture, has
narrow windows allowing residents to see the ocean.Tadashi Ono
5/17The tourism industry in Japan's northeastern coast has
been hurt by the seawalls.Tadashi Ono
6/17The Japanese government has spent around $12 billion to
build walls like this one on Ryori Bay, Iwate prefecture.Tadashi Ono
7/17The construction of seawalls like this one on Kesennuma
Bay, Miyagi prefecture, have been a boon to the giant Japanese construction
companies awarded government contracts.Tadashi Ono
8/17Local residents complain that walls such as this, on
Hirota Bay, Miyagi prefecture, impede their views of the ocean and cause
environmental damage.Tadashi Ono
9/17Hundreds of miles of walls have been built, including
this stretch on Toni Bay, Iwate prefecture.Tadashi Ono
10/17Fishermen complain that walls like this one on Hirota
Bay, Iwate prefecture, prevent nutrient-rich runoff from the mountains from
reaching the sea.Tadashi Ono
11/17Because coastal villages have been relocated to higher
ground, much of the land behind the seawalls is uninhabited.Tadashi Ono
12/17Photographer Tadashi Ono believes walls like this one
on Miyako Bay, Iwate prefecture, are a rejection of Japanese history and
culture.Tadashi Ono
13/17Some Japanese residents believe walls like this one on
Miyako Bay, Iwate prefecture, are actually counterproductive because they
provide a false sense of security.Tadashi Ono
14/17Ono believes that building walls goes against the
Japanese tradition of cooperating with the sea.Tadashi Ono
15/17Throughout its history, Japan has been enriched and
protected by the ocean, but now it's building walls—like this one on Taro Bay,
Iwate prefecture—to keep the ocean out.Tadashi Ono
16/17Ono believes the walls, like this one in Raga Bay,
Iwate prefecture, are being "constructed just to be
constructed."Tadashi Ono
17/17Only time will tell if walls like this one in Raga Bay,
Iwate prefecture, will protect the Japanese coast from future tsunamis.Tadashi
Ono
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