By Eoin McSweeney, CNN. IT will take years to rebuild this region. Japan has spent millions of dollars to build a sophisticated early warning system for earthquakes and experts say that it helped save millions of lives and mitigated the damage from the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.. The event began with a powerful earthquake off the coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, which initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated many coastal areas. The Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami demonstrated that despite the severity of the natural hazard the investment in the warning system has been a success. Japan is well-known for its major natural disasters, like the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 that resulted in a huge tsunami creating terrible consequences. The US Tsunami Warning System … The Tokohu-oki earthquake 11th March 2011 caused a massive tsunami that devastated the shores of Japan's Honshu island. A well-developed public earthquake early warning (EEW) system has been operating in Japan since October 2007. Japan has the world's densest seismometer network, the biggest tsunami barriers and the most extensive earthquake early-warning system. When you experience the power of nature and what it can do, no wonder that the Japanese decided to power up their tsunami warning system to be better prepared in case it happens again. An energy map provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the intensity of the tsunami caused by the magnitude 8.9 earthquake which struck Japan on March 11, 2011. This isn't likely to happen on the East Coast, but it could. A tsunami warning was issued for the entire Pacific basin except mainland United States and Canada. Earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hits Japan near devastating 2011 disaster epicenter. Warning Service – reading the signals An effective warning system requires continuous monitoring of our planet; on local, regional and global scales. The Japanese government issued a local tsunami warning three minutes after the quake struck, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, run by NOAA, issued its regional warning … According to Kunihiko Shimazaki, a seismologist and head of the Japanese government’s earthquake prediction advisory board, while the massive 9.0 magnitude … This is an aerial view of damage to Sukuiso, Japan, a week after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area in March, 2011. A well-developed public earthquake early warning (EEW) system has been operating in Japan since October 2007. … Credit: US Navy. Japan is often considered the country most prepared for tsunamis but still lost numerous lives in this event. Japan earthquake and tsunami, severe natural disaster that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and killed at least 20,000 people. TOKYO .