The March 11 th, 2011 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake was the fifth largest in the world since 1900, and the biggest instrumentally recorded earthquake Japan has ever been shaken by. The extent of the damage caused by the tsunami that followed the quake was more extraordinary paling the shaking damage. Looking back over the last year, not a small number of cause-and-effect links remain to be defined yet. Moreover making unfair or misleading selections from or arrangement of facts can occur all the more because the damage and losses were extensive and complicated. This summary report overviews physical aspect of the massive destruction that the earthquake and tsunami brought based upon as many original and official survey/ investigation reports as possible, and discusses the role of earthquake engineering experts. Copyright©2012 IAHS.
