MINAMI-SANRIKU, Miyagi Prefecture--A town government building here that was reduced to a skeletal structure after the tsunami in 2011 smashed into it and killed 43 people seeking refuge has gotten a facelift.
The wraps were lifted off the building for the first time in about three months to display the completion of the repair work carried out by the Miyagi prefectural government.
The steel frame has been reinforced and painted with a corrosion inhibitor. The reddish brown frame now gleams when the sun is out.
As a result, it now appears as it did immediately after the tsunami generated by the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.
The prefectural government will manage the building until 2031, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster. Until then, the town's residents are expected to decide whether the building should be preserved or dismantled.