some residents climb onto the sea defenses to watch the approaching tsunami only to be swept away when the waves went over the wall. Many in the town said they felt the wall lulled them into a false sense of security. A section of the seaside wall was swept away by the tsunami. Large amounts of concrete debris was left around Tarō and scattered in its bay. 181 people were dead or missing in the tsunami, with nearly 1,700 houses damaged or destroyed. Four years after the tsunami, on 22 November 2015, a "town opening" ceremony was held in Tarō after the completion of 450 new houses. The new houses were built on higher ground some 40 to 60 meters above the sea level, as well as on ground that had been raised by about 2 meters. A few years later, an added 14.7-metre seawall was rebuilt in 2017. Even with these added precautions, the population of the town suffered, dropping dropped to 3,173, which is around 70 percent of its total population in 2011. References External links Official website of Miyako Tarō sea wall before and after the tsunami by NHK Aerial views showing the extent of Tarō's coastal defences before March 2011 Computer graphic showing the effects of the tsunami on Tarō. Dissolved municipalities of Iwate Prefecture Miyako, Iwate