Did Al Jazeera really mean the implied critiscm of Japan when it wrote in its live blog today: “1:18pm it is clear the country was not prepared for a disaster of this magnitude.”
At this time, more than 5,600 people are confirmed dead and almost half a million have been displaced. These numbers will climb, and are huge numbers indeed, but to the extent that any country could be prepared for anything on this magnitude, it is clear that Japan was prepared.
Sendai was/is a city of over 1 million, The other inundated towns had 10,000 – 20,000 inhabitants in a fertile and densely populated area of villages and farms. That so many survived speaks of their preparedness.
No other country in the world would have done so well.