In Hamanaka , in the Akkeshi District , Hokkaidō , a tsunami destroyed numerous homes . It is thought that drift ice was pushed up by the tsunami and exacerbated the damage . Eight years later , this area was devastated by the tsunami caused by the 1960 Chile earthquake , killing 11 people . Akkeshi Bay saw the highest tsunami surge , of 6.5 meters , with Hachinohe in Aomori also seeing a 2-meter wave . This was the first large tsunami after the inception of Japan 's tsunami warning system . The previous day , March 3 , was the anniversary of the 1933 Sanriku earthquake , and the large number of training and evacuation drills held that day bolstered the response to the real disaster on March 4
1960 Chile earthquake
1960 Valdivia earthquake
1952 Hokkaido earthquake