抄録
The tsunami that followed the earthquake on March 11, 2011, destroyed almost all the cities and villages along the serrated coast of northeast Japan. The affected prefectures plan to reconstruct and enlarge a coastal levee to prevent damage from future tsunamis. Since the coastal levee will cover the flat land close to the shore and available land can decrease remarkably in a small fishing village, it is not appropriate to construct a huge coastal levee that could exceed 10 m in height. It is necessary to consider local characteristics such as topography, population, industry, the natural environment, culture, and lifestyle before developing a disaster prevention plan. Moreover, residents, specialists, and the administration should discuss appropriate methods to defend local communities against future tsunamis. The coastal levee is only one means for disaster prevention, and its effective use is predicated on the condition that it does not lead local communities to decline.
