Japan Earthquake Research Articles

BUILDING FOUNDATION INSTABILITY INDUCED BY TSUNAMI SCOUR

Understanding the role of tsunami-induced scour in building foundation instability can allow for the proper design of buildings located in areas prone to tsunami events. The process of tsunami scour around building foundations reduces the bearing capacity of the soil to support loading, lateral resistance and loss of soil- foundation friction (i.e. piles). Scour can cause loss of material around a foundation, due to increased pore pressure within the soil and removal of the soil during the tsunami, resulting in reduced bearing capacity of the soil (Macabuag et al., 2018). During the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, three similar failure modes of building foundations were experienced, namely overturning, sliding and bearing (scour) failure (Macabuag et al., 2018). According to Wright (2015), shallow foundations such as strip, slab or pad are vulnerable to erosion of surrounding soil causing scour during a tsunami. The present paper discusses the application of the scour depth predictive model of Nicholas et al. (2016) and the development of a Relative Risk Index for future design of building foundations accounting for tsunamis.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/u6QSmUe8YqA

LOADING AND STRUCTURAL RESPONSE OF DEVELOPED SHORELINES UNDER WAVES, SURGE, AND TSUNAMI OVERLAND FLOW HAZARDS

Inundation from storms like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and the 2011 East Japan tsunami, have caused catastrophic damage to coastal communities. Prediction of surge, wave, and tsunami flow transformation over the built and natural environment is essential in determining survival and failure of near-coast structures. However, unlike earthquake and wind hazards, overland flow event loading and damage often vary strongly at a parcel scale in built-up coastal regions due to the influence of nearby structures and vegetation on hydrodynamic transformation. Additionally, overland flow hydrodynamics and loading are presently treated using a variety of simplified methods (e.g. bare earth method) which introduce significant uncertainty and/or bias. This study describes an extensive series of large-scale experiments to create a comprehensive dataset of detailed hydrodynamics and forces on an array of coastal structures (representing buildings of a community on a barrier island) subject to the variability of storm waves, surge, and tsunami, incorporating the effect of overland flow, 3D flow alteration due to near-structure shielding, vegetation, waterborne debris, and building damage.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/EDLiEK6b64E

The Power of Art to Cope With Trauma: Psychosocial Intervention After the Tsunami in Japan

This article describes the significance of an art-based psychosocial intervention with a group of 9 head kindergarten teachers in Japan after the 2011 tsunami, as co-constructed by Japanese therapists and an Israeli arts therapist. Six core themes emerged from the analysis of a group case study: (1) mutual playfulness and joy, (2) rejuvenation and regaining control, (3) containment of a multiplicity of feelings, (4) encouragement of verbal sharing, (5) mutual closeness and support, and (6) the need to support cultural expression. These findings suggest that art making can enable coping with the aftermath of natural disasters. The co-construction underscores the value of integrating the local Japanese culture when implementing Western arts therapy approaches. It is suggested that art-based psychosocial interventions can elicit and nurture coping and resilience in a specific cultural context and that the arts and creativity can serve as a powerful humanistic form of posttraumatic care.

Empirical Analysis of Global-Scale Natural Data and Analogue Seismotectonic Modelling Data to Unravel the Seismic Behaviour of the Subduction Megathrust

Subduction megathrusts host the Earth’s greatest earthquakes as the 1960 Valdivia (Mw 9.5, Chile), the largest earthquake instrumentally recorded, and the recent 2004 Sumatra-Andaman (Mw 9.2, Indonesia), 2010 Maule (Mw 8.8, Chile), and 2011 Tohoku-Oki (Mw 9.1, Japan) earthquakes triggering devastating tsunamis and representing a major hazard to society. Unravelling the spatio-temporal pattern of these events is thus a key for seismic hazard assessment of subduction zones. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of two research areas–empirical analysis of global-scale natural data and experimental data from an analogue seismotectonic modelling—devoted to study cause-effect relationships between subduction zone parameters and the megathrust seismogenic behavior. The combination of the two approaches overcomes the observational bias and inherent sampling limitations of geological processes (i.e., shortness of instrumental and historical data, decreasing completeness and resolution with time into the past) and allows drawing appropriately from multiple disciplines with the aim of highlighting the geodynamic conditions that may favor the occurrence of giant megathrust earthquakes.

MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION OF EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING USING MACHINE LEARNING

To help earthquake early warning (EEW) systems make quick decisions, we build a random forest (RF) model for rapid earthquake localization. This system computes the differences in P-wave arrival timings between the first five stations to record an earthquake as a reference station (i.e., the first recording station). The RF model categorises these differential P-wave arrival times and station locations in order to determine the epicentral position. Using a Japanese earthquake catalogue, we train and evaluate the suggested algorithm. The Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the RF model, which forecasts earthquake sites, is 2.88 km. Importantly, the suggested RF model can learn from little data—10% of the dataset—and a lot fewer recording stations—three—and yet get good results (MAE5 km). The approach provides a potent new tool for quick and precise source-location prediction in EEW since it is accurate, generalizable, and responsive

Damage Evaluation and Limit States of Rocking Concrete Walls with Energy Dissipaters

ABSTRACT In recent earthquakes in Japan, it was difficult for some reinforced concrete buildings to maintain their functionality after earthquakes due to damage to nonstructural RC walls. Currently, society expects quick recovery, if not uninterrupted functionality, of buildings after earthquakes. In this paper, four hybrid rocking wall specimens, along with rocking wall and RC wall were tested to quantify the damage level and limit states based on the 2015 AIJ guidelines. The behaviour of hybrid rocking walls was modelled with amulti-spring model. As aresult, limit states of analyzed walls were successfully classified in agood agreement with experimental results.

Groundwater Anomaly Related to CCS-CO2 Injection and the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake in Japan

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered a key technology for reducing CO2emissions into the atmosphere. Nonetheless, there are concerns that if injected CO2migrates in the crust, it may trigger slip of pre-existing faults. In order to test if this is the case, covariations of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen isotopes of groundwater measured from Uenae well, southern Hokkaido, Japan are reported. This well is located 13 km away from the injection point of the Tomakomai CCS project and 21 km from the epicenter of September 6th, 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake (M 6.7). Carbon isotope composition was constant from June 2015 to February 2018, and decreased significantly from April 2018 to November 2019, while total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) content showed a corresponding increase. A decrease in radiocarbon andδ13C values suggests aquifer contamination by anthropogenic carbon, which could possibly be attributable to CCS-injected CO2. If such is the case, the CO2enriched fluid may have initially migrated through permeable channels, blocking the fluid flow from the source region, increasing pore pressure in the focal region and triggering the natural earthquake where the brittle crust is already critically stressed.

Impact assessment and a fiscal recovery policy for tsunami risk: GIS and the general equilibrium approach in Hakodate city, Japan

Given Japan’s substantial exposure to many kinds of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons, it has been a priority to invest in resilience, guided by evidence-based modeling. In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami became the costliest natural disaster ever recorded. This study applied a geographic information system using assumed tsunami-affected data calibrated in a recursive computable general equilibrium model to perform an economic impact assessment and an estimated recovery budget. We simulated 100 years of tsunamis and a 10-year sectoral recovery package for the sectors related to the ocean economy, such as kelp, net fishery, squid, other fisheries, food processing, and recreation, with a capital-use subsidy policy regarding investment strategy. We found that the aqua sector is incredibly vulnerable and would not recover with the capital-use subsidy within Hakodate City’s financial capability. Nevertheless, the recovery policy could still ease output price changes. On the other hand, the recreation sector could recover to pre-disaster conditions, but at huge fiscal and social costs. Meanwhile, the food processing sector’s recovery could generate social benefits and have a spillover effect on other fisheries sectors. The application of geographic information system in tsunami-prone areas could strengthen the precision of economic analysis. Such evidence-based modeling could visualize the economic impact to assist policymakers and stakeholders in foreseeing disaster risk and implementing more effective building resilience measures.

Panacea or problem: New governance structures for disaster recovery

Newly formed post-disaster governance structures are entities vested with special authority and powers that allow them to bypass the established norms and procedures of governance. They are increasingly becoming the normative model for governments to coordinate and execute recovery after catastrophic events. Yet, little is known about the challenges such structures face. Using qualitative data from in-depth interviews and document analysis of legislation, government reports, and news accounts, this paper compares new governance structures that were initiated in Japan and Nepal to ensure that post-disaster long-term recovery efforts were coordinated. We examine the National Reconstruction Agency, established after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and the National Reconstruction Authority, established after the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal. The study finds that the new governance structures were characterized by a number of challenges. These include delays in establishment, confusion over jurisdictional authority, and lack of input from local governments. The paper offers policy recommendations to mitigate such challenges.

Advances of International Collaboration on M9 Disaster Science: Scientific Session Report

The goal of the Scientific Session: “Advances of International Collaboration on M9 Disaster Science” at the 2nd World Bosai Forum (WBF) in Sendai in November 2019 was to share progress on research projects and findings related to an M9 mega-disaster event, building on outcomes from a March 2019 collaborative workshop on M9 disaster science between research partners from the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS)/Tohoku University, University of Washington-Seattle (UW), and the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN). This paper reports on the presentations during the WBF Scientific Session, which shared updates and outputs of research collaborations from different disciplines, following the themes of risk-based planning, structural engineering, tsunami observation and early warning, and tsunami simulation and probabilistic tsunami risk assessment. This international and cross-disciplinary collaboration has led to the advancement of a number of specific research projects in different fields, as well as a robust network of researchers in the three countries. Based in coastal regions facing similar risks of massive earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, the United States, and Chile, it is hoped that ongoing and future collaboration within this network will continue to advance knowledge of disaster science and international disaster risk reduction.

Special Issue on the Second World Bosai Forum

The World Bosai Forum/International Disaster Risk Conference@Sendai 2019 (WBF2019) held in November 2019 in Sendai City, Japan, was successful in bringing together actors from multiple sectors to advance the goals of disaster risk reduction (DRR). We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in the sessions, exhibitions, poster sessions, and mini-presentations, as well as to the many local people who came to the event. According to the World Bosai Forum [1], 871 participants from 38 countries attended the WBF2019 which included 50 oral sessions, 3 keynote speeches, 47 poster sessions, 33 mini-presentations, and 14 exhibition booths, which contributed to deepening the discussion and promotion of the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015–2030” (SFDRR) and in particular progress towards the achievement of Global Target E, to substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. Including lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, local knowledge and solutions towards advancing BOSAI were actively shared and discussed among the participants who joined this global forum, from various organizations and sectors. In particular, there were many sessions in which young people and private companies played a key role. The guest editors are pleased to publish this special issue of the Journal of Disaster Research, which is comprised of 13 articles sharing the research advancements presented at the WBF2019. We hope that this special issue on the WBF2019 will contribute to the literature on disaster science and further advances in disaster risk reduction.

Oxygen Electrode Reaction of Titanium Oxide-Based Materials in Alkaline Solution

1. Introduction In order to expand usage of renewable energies, it should be required for improving electricity storage technology from the viewpoint of power supply in the disaster such as earthquake in Japan and power sources for remote islands where it is hard to establish infatuation of power grids. For a large scale, it is expected to develop for hydrogen storage such as Power-to-Gas including alkaline water electrolysis (AWE). For a small scale, electric power storage such as batteries including metal-air secondary batteries (MASB). In both devices, the oxygen electrode plays an important role. However, it's already reported that the degradation of Ni in the AWE anode was occurred by potential cycling simulated as fluctuating power derived from renewable energy 1), and the durability and activity for positive electrode (air electrode) of MASB must be improved significantly 2). In our previous study, we focused on Ti oxide-based material because of its abundant resources and stability and tried to apply it with and without doping Zr or Ce as the oxygen electrode for AWE and MASB 3-4). In this study, we have investigated the oxygen electrode reaction of Zr and Ce-doped titanium oxide-based material in alkaline solution. 2. Experimental Two types of TiOx doping with 1 mol% of Zr and Ce (ZrCe-TiOx as shown in the following section) and without doping were prepared under oxygen starvation atmosphere, and then formed as rod shape (φ=5.0 mm, Toshima manufacturing Co., Ltd.). Electrochemical measurements were performed at 30 ± 0.5°C using a TiOx or ZrCe-TiOx rod described in above, reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and glassy carbon plate as working, reference and counter electrodes in a three-electrode cell filled with 0.1 mol dm-3 KOH solution. After the pretreatment, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out for the scan rate of 50 mV s-1, and the electric double layer capacity was calculated from the current data. In order to evaluate the catalytic activity for the OER, slow scan voltammetry (SSV) was performed in the potential range of 1.2 to 2.0 V for the scan rate of 5 mV s-1. As a durability simulation against potential fluctuations, a potential cycling test was performed at 1 V s-1 and a triangular wave of 0 to 2.0 V for 5,000 cycles, then the electric double layer capacity and SSV were measured again under the same conditions, and this sequence was repeated 4 times. This means that potential cycling test is completed for 20,000 cycles. 3. Results and discussion Each electrical resistivity of the sample was around 1 to 5 Ω cm, and no significant difference was observed with and without doping. Although the resistance after electrochemical measurement was increased for all samples, the resistance values kept in same digit. Fig. 1 shows Tafel plots of OER on TiOx before the potential cycling test. The horizontal axis is the common logarithm of the current density, i geo,normalized by the geometric area. Tafel region of each sample was observed from 1.6 to 1.7 V. In addition, the i geo at 1.7 V was used as an index of the OER activity in this study. The Tafel slope of ZrCe-TiOx was larger than that of TiOx, and the OER activity of TiOx was higher than that of ZrCe-TiOx. As a result, doping Zr and Ce didn't contribute to enhance the OER activity of TiOx. The durability of sample was evaluated by the comparison between initial OER activity and that after potential cycling. We also used the i geo at 1.7 V as an index of OER activity. Figure 2 shows the i geo of ZrCe-TiOx at 1.7 V during the potential cycling test. From Fig. 2, the OER activity after 20,000 cycle was 40% lower than initial OER activity. Though the OER activity was decreased 40% in 5,000 cycle, the i geo at 1.7 V was almost same from 5,000 to 20,000 cycle. It is suggested that the degradation of OER activity on ZrCe-TiOx was suppressed after 5,000 cycle in this study.Acknowledgment This work is partially supported by Toyota Mobility Foundation and the Suzuki Foundation. References1) H. Ichikawa. K. Matsuzawa, Y. Kohno, I. Nagashima, Y. Sunada, Y. Nishiki, A. Manabe, and S. Mitsushima, ECS Trans., 58 (33), 9 (2014).2) X. Li, A.L. Zhu, W. Qu, H. Wang, R. Hui, L. Zhang, and J. Zhang, Electrochim. Acta, 55, 5891 (2010).3) R. Suzuki, A. Ishihara, K. Ota and K. Matsuzawa, Proc. ECSJ Fall Meeting 2019, 1L10 (2019) (in Japanese).4) R. Suzuki, A. Ishihara, K. Ota and K. Matsuzawa, Proc. 26th FCDIC Fuel cell symp., p.95 (2019) (in Japanese). Figure 1

Trajectories of Posttraumatic Growth and Their Associations With Quality of Life After the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan was an extraordinarily stressful incident that caused harmful psychological reactions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among affected individuals. However, a proportion of exposed individuals experienced posttraumatic growth (PTG), characterized by a noticeable degree of personal strength, spirituality, life appreciation, perception of new possibilities in life, and enhanced relationships with others. Some researchers have argued that these positive reactions may be an illusory change related to coping with traumatic events. We examined trajectory patterns related to PTG Inventory (PTGI) subscales to elucidate the existence of both real and illusory growth regarding quality of life (QoL), utilizing group‐based trajectory models. Three online questionnaires were distributed at 6 months (N = 2,554; M age = 47.04 years, SD = 12.62), 12 months (N = 887; M age = 48.11 years, SD = 12.43), and 42 months (N = 560; M age = 48.86 years, SD = 12.25) postdisaster. Participants responded to items related to demographic characteristics, disaster experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, PTG, and QoL. Three main PTG trajectories emerged, characterized by growth, no growth, and illusory growth, with QoL as a time invariant covariate. Compared with the growth trajectory, the odds ratios (ORs) for no growth ranged from 2.27 to 5.04; for illusory growth, the ORs ranged from 2.09 to 4.67. To our knowledge, this was the first study to report growth trajectories related to PTGI subscales and their underlying differences in psychological mechanisms and processes following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Shear strength and cracking behavior of reinforced concrete nonstructural walls

ABSTRACT Recent Japanese earthquakes have severely damaged the nonstructural walls of many buildings. While nonstructural walls do not influence the seismic performance of a building, this damage can still sometimes cause buildings to be demolished or render their continued use impossible. Therefore, it is important that seismic designs take the seismic properties of nonstructural walls into consideration. Shear loading tests and FE analysis were conducted to investigate this phenomenon, which showed that shear strength decreased and crack width increased with wider rebar spacing. The FE analysis indicated that the discrete crack model evaluated the test results more adequately than the smeared crack model. In addition, the stress distribution was localized with wider rebar spacing. Therefore, it is thought that the shear strength decreased. Finally, a simple crack width prediction method was proposed. With this method, the rebar strain was calculated using the horizontal deformation of the walls. Using this method, the crack width could be reasonably estimated. It is believed that these findings will be useful for designing nonstructural walls with improved seismic performance.

Detection of Land Cover Changes before and after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake in Japan Using Remote Sensing for Evaluation of Environmental Impacts

The land cover changes before and after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake in Japan are detected using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from satellite Sentinel-2A/2B images, and the methods and contents are described in this paper. The land cover change areas matched well with Google Map (aerial photographs), a high resolution latest map. In addition, the some areas where land cover changes spread over time were investigated by ground truths, and we have found that their cause is restoration works. To evaluate environmental impacts, we investigated the populations of the trapdoor spiders Heptathela higoensis in three study sites in the Aso area and Ozu Town in Kumamoto Prefecture. It is thought that the soil animal such as this spider receives the influence of the land cover changes directly. It is suggested that the changes of the spider populations can become an index to grasp the environmental changes before and after the earthquake quantitatively. The locations of the restoration works will not return to areas with high groundwater recharge capacity such as grasslands. If such restoration works spread, the people lived in the Aso and Kumamoto areas in Kumamoto Prefecture that rely on groundwater will have a serious problem in the future.

Motivation for and Effect of Cooking Class Participation: A Cross-Sectional Study Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

We explored the association between the motivation for and effects of cooking class participation in disaster-affected areas following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We conducted questionnaire surveys in January and February 2020, and applied three Poisson regression models to a cross-sectional dataset of participants, analyzing three perceived participation effects: increase in new acquaintances and friends, increase in excursion opportunities, potential for gaining motivation, and a new sense of life purpose. We also applied the interaction term of motivation variables and usual eating patterns (eating alone or with others). We obtained 257 valid responses from 15 cooking venues. The interaction term for participants’ motivation and eating patterns was associated with their perceived participation effects. “Motivation for nutrition improvement × eating alone” was positively associated with an increase in new acquaintances and friends (IRR: 3.05, 95% CI, 1.22–7.64). “Motivation for increasing personal cooking repertoire × eating alone” was positively associated with increased excursion opportunities (IRR: 5.46, 95% CI, 1.41–21.20). In contrast, the interaction effect of “motivation of increasing nutrition improvement × eating alone” was negatively associated with increased excursion opportunities (IRR: 0.27, 95% CI, 0.12–0.69). The results show that the cooking class was effective, as residents’ participation improved their nutritional health support and increased their social relationships.

Temporal Gravity Signals in Reprocessed GOCE Gravitational Gradients

The reprocessing of the satellite gravitational gradiometry (SGG) data from the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite mission in 2018/2019 considerably reduced the low-frequency noise in the data, leading to reduced noise amplitudes in derived gravity field models at large spatial scales, at which temporal variations of the Earth’s gravity field have their highest amplitudes. This is the motivation to test the reprocessed GOCE SGG data for their ability to resolve time-variable gravity signals. For the gravity field processing, we apply and compare a spherical harmonics (SH) approach and a mass concentration (mascon) approach. Although their global signal-to-noise ratio is <1, SH GOCE SGG-only models resolve the strong regional signals of glacier melting in Greenland and Antarctica, and the 2011 moment magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan, providing an estimation of gravity variations independent of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data. The benefit of combined GRACE/GOCE SGG models is evaluated based on the ice mass trend signals in Greenland and Antarctica. While no signal contribution from GOCE SGG data additional to the GRACE models could be observed, we show that the incorporation of GOCE SGG data numerically stabilizes the related normal equation systems.

Magnitude Calculation without Saturation from Strong-Motion Waveforms

ABSTRACTAfter destructive earthquakes, it is a challenge to estimate magnitude rapidly and accurately for dissemination to emergency responders and the public. Here, we propose criteria to calculate peak ground displacement (PGD) from strong-motion records, which can be used to calculate unsaturated event magnitude. Using collocated strong-motion and Global Navigation Satellite Systems observations of five major earthquakes in Japan, we demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our strategy. Our results show that, with the right filtering criteria, PGD estimated from strong-motion acceleration waveforms is consistent with geodetic estimates. The methodology, however, does not allow for calculation of reliable estimates of coseismic deformation or other ground displacement metrics. We demonstrate a simulated real-time magnitude estimation that suggests it is feasible to generate an unsaturated magnitude estimate in real time from near-field strong-motion records. These findings have important implications for early warning and emergency response in seismically active areas, especially where real-time strong-motion data are more widely available than geodetic measurements.

Errata to "Characteristic activities of slow earthquakes in Japan".

Errata to "Characteristic activities of slow earthquakes in Japan".

Rational Evaluation Methods of Topographical Change and Building Destruction in the Inundation Area by a Huge Tsunami

In the case of huge tsunamis, such as the 2004 Great Indian Ocean Tsunami and 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami, the damage caused by ground scour is serious. Therefore, it is important to improve prediction models for the topographical change of huge tsunamis. For general models that predict topographical change, the flow velocity distribution of a flood region is calculated by a numerical model based on a nonlinear long wave theory, and the distribution of bed-load rates is calculated using this velocity distribution and an equation for evaluating bed-load rates. This bed-load rate equation usually has a coefficient that can be decided using verification simulations. For the purpose, Ribberink’s formula has high reproducibility within an oscillating flow and was chosen by the authors. Ribberink’s formula needs a bed-load transport coefficient that requires sufficient verification simulations, as it consumes plenty of time and money to decide its value. Therefore, the authors generated diagrams that can define the suitable bed-load coefficient simply using the data acquired from hydraulic experiments on a movable bed. Subsequently, for the verification purpose of the model, the authors performed reproduced simulations of topography changes caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami at some coasts in Northern Japan using suitable coefficients acquired from the generated diagrams. The results of the simulations were in an acceptable range. The authors presented the preliminary generated diagrams of the same methodology but with insubstantial experimental data at the time at the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE), (2018 and 2019). However, in this paper, an adequate amount of data was added to the developed diagrams based on many hydraulic experiments to further raise their reliability and their application extent. Furthermore, by reproducing the tsunami simulation on the Sendai Natori coast of Japan, the authors determined that the impact of total bed-load transport was much bigger than that of suspension loads. Besides, the simulation outputs revealed that the mitigation effect of the cemented sand and gravel (CSG) banks and artificial refuge hills reduced tsunami damage on Japan’s Hamamatsu coast. Since a lot of buildings and structures in the inundation area can be destroyed by tsunamis, building destruction design was presented in this paper through an economy and simplified state. Using the proposed tsunami simulation model, we acquired the inundation depth at any specific time and location within the inundated area. Because the inundation breadth due to a huge tsunami can extend kilometers toward the inland area, the evaluation of building destruction is an important measure to consider. Therefore, the authors in this paper presented useful threshold diagrams to evaluate building destruction with an easy and cost-efficient state. The threshold diagrams of “width of a pillar” for buildings or “width of concrete block walls” not breaking to each inundation height were developed using the data of damages due to the 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami.