In the early afternoon of 11 March 2011, Japan was rocked by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that caused widespread damage to the country’s eastern coastal region. The earthquake was so powerful it moved Honshu, Japan’s largest island, 2.4 metres east and shifted the Earth on its axis by an estimated 10 to 25 centimetres.
The tsunami that followed devastated the coastal areas of Tohoku and southern Hokkaido and claimed the majority of the 15 848 lives lost. Following the massive earthquake and tsunami, an accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant was reported as a potential Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In time, the International Nuclear Event Scale was raised to Level 7, the highest level.
The Great East Japan Earthquake tested the ability and role of the newly-established Division of Health Security and Emergencies in the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). From the start of the disaster, and in collaboration with the Government of Japan, WHO used its global network to communicate and coordinate information collection, public health risk assessments and provision of public health advice.
The tsunami that followed devastated the coastal areas of Tohoku and southern Hokkaido and claimed the majority of the 15 848 lives lost. Following the massive earthquake and tsunami, an accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant was reported as a potential Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In time, the International Nuclear Event Scale was raised to Level 7, the highest level.
The Great East Japan Earthquake tested the ability and role of the newly-established Division of Health Security and Emergencies in the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). From the start of the disaster, and in collaboration with the Government of Japan, WHO used its global network to communicate and coordinate information collection, public health risk assessments and provision of public health advice.