Support activity using WINDS satellite link in the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0, struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of northeastern Japan's Tohoku region. It was the fourth-strongest earthquake in recorded history, and triggered a giant tsunami that inflicted enormous damage along Japan's eastern seaboard. In some areas, the tsunami waves topped 15 meters and destroyed buildings and geographical features. Under these conditions, most communication lines were rendered unusable, so collecting of information on the disaster area's status by the national, and even local, government was difficult.