Approximately 19,500 people died in the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami. The disaster struck Japan on March 11, 2011, after a magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu. The tsunami caused the overwhelming majority of the deaths, mainly through drowning.
The figure combines confirmed deaths with people officially listed as missing in the disaster’s widely reported toll. Later official counts and definitions can produce slightly different totals, especially when disaster-related deaths during evacuation and displacement are included, but about 19,500 is the standard quiz and reference estimate.
Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures suffered the greatest losses. Miyagi had the highest number of fatalities, while cities including Ishinomaki, Kesennuma, and Rikuzentakata were devastated. The event also caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, but radiation exposure was not the main cause of the immediate death toll.