Far beyond the harbour at Kamaishi town in north east Japan, the ravaged remains of its sea defences still rise jagged above the water. Descending 63m, the breakwater had earned a place in the Guinness book of records as the world’s deepest and its presence offered the ancient steel town’s 40,000 residents visible reassurance. When the tsunami struck on March 11, 2011, though, the five-year-old defences could not hold. The wave washed in, climbing 10 metres above sea level, levelling hundreds of homes and killing over a thousand people. The sea wall held the water back for six minutes and reduced the height of the ... (full story)