Japan Before and After, had a friend in the relief effort for Japan send me this

[Yugl]

this is why you dont build civilization or large manufacturing companies, or anything near large bodies of water, in an area that is susceptable to natural disasters

1. Areas near large bodies of water, though susceptible to natural disasters, thrived historically. The best examples of this are Britain and continental Europe. Access to bodies of water initially served farming and fishing purposes (Hello agriculture and hunting+gathering). As globalization emerged and marine power became important, these locations remained important despite the setbacks.

2. Nuclear plants use large amounts of water. In the US, we have large bodies of water (Lakes) inland that we can take advantage of (Ending with preposition). I'm uncertain on Japan's geography, but I recall it being internally mountainous and lacking of similar bodies of water.