The Tohoku earthquake in 2011 was the most powerful earthquake ever in Japan and the fifth most powerful in the world. The earthquake happened 70 km from the coast, but it caused one of the biggest tsunamis ever recorded. The wave was over 40 m high and was large enough to travel 10 km inland in some places. The worst damage was in coastal towns where the land was flat. Some people managed to go to places high enough to be safe, but others weren't so lucky and didn't have enough time to escape. More than 18,000 people lost their lives. The wave also damaged the nuclear power station at Fukushima. Some people say that the power station was too close to the sea. The Prime Minister of Japan said, 'In the 65 years since the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan.