Reply #26: I think one of the problems is, this complex was built 40 years ago [View All]

[Art_from_Ark]

There was a lot less reliable information about all of the undersea faults in the area. Also, they had to find a relatively unpopulated area that was still close but not too close to Tokyo (which up to that time had laid claim to the Mother of All Modern Japanese Earthquakes). No doubt Fukushima was a somewhat impoverished and rural prefecture back then, and I can just see the prefectural fathers welcoming this complex with open arms.

This web page is very interesting-- It says that there was a 99% chance that a major earthquake would occur off the coast of Miyagi "within the next 30 years". I wish I knew when this piece was written.

http://www.engineer.or.jp/cmty/bousai/BousaiQandA_Ver1_02_20090909A/chap_3/3.4.pdf