Japan is facing what psychologists call PTSD, standing for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, after a tsunami recently occurred. In other words, when they hear or see or read the word “tsunami,” it just triggers the Japanese people, and the emotions surrounding it or the emotions associated with it are not good. Either way, a tsunami is not associated with anything good, Japan or not. In seaside towns and villages, the memories of 2011 continue to reverberate in the deserted lots where houses once stood and in the tales that people share to try to make sense of what transpired.
After a significant earthquake off the Far East coast of Russia, tsunami warnings reappeared
Residents across Japan’s Pacific coast rushed to higher ground on Wednesday as tsunami warnings following a massive earthquake off Russia’s Far East resurfaced painful memories and lessons from the devastating 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster. Television banners flashed “TSUNAMI! EVACUATE!” and similar warnings as most broadcasters cut regular programming to issue warnings and focus on evacuation orders.
This is because the tsunami waves approached Japan’s shores. “Do not be glued to the screen. Evacuate now!” a news presenter at public broadcaster NHK shouted. The warnings resurfaced memories of the March 11, 2011, earthquake, when more than 15,000 people died after a 9.0-magnitude tremor triggered a massive tsunami that tore through the Fukushima nuclear power plant and caused a radioactive disaster.
Surging water pushed many residents to evacuate and reach higher ground
Many residents were unable to reach higher ground in time as surging waters from waves that were dozens of meters high engulfed much of the country’s northeastern coast. On Wednesday, residents recalled those events as evacuation warnings were issued. A woman in Fukushima told NHK,
“When the earthquake struck before, everyone evacuated to higher ground so I thought about doing the same.”
Workers in low-lying areas of Tokyo Electric Power’s 9501.T Fukushima nuclear facility suspended their decommissioning after the evacuation warning was issued and fled to higher ground. A spokesperson said the evacuation did not pose a safety concern. In Japan’s coastal Mie prefecture, a 58-year-old woman died when her car fell off a cliff while she was evacuating.
The psychology behind this traumatic moment in 2011 and now again
There is an underlying actor that happens when such events occur. The space between 2011 and 2025 is almost 15 years, but no one has fully recovered from the previous natural disaster. It shows that people living in Japan have been mentally unstable because of what transpired. In other words, there has not been a complete let-go; rather, there has been something at the top of their heads that it could happen again.
A male postal office worker in Iwate prefecture told NHK,
“I was at the same post office 14 years ago. This time, all of us said ‘let’s evacuate quickly.'”
For over ten years, engineers and technicians in Fukushima have been working to remove damaged reactor fuel and contain radioactive leakage. Many residents worry that another significant earthquake and tsunami would reverse years of hard work or cause new leaks that would release dangerous radioactivity once more.
According to officials, the nuclear plant remained unharmed throughout this most recent alarm. However, locals are aware of how quickly things may change, particularly those who had to leave their hometowns for years. Every evacuation exercise, every home that is rebuilt, and every family that remains ready demonstrates to the world what Japan has discovered: sometimes the best defence is information, prompt action, and an unwavering determination to rebuild. People in the nation trust that these memories will lead them to safety even when the warnings reappear.