March 11, 2011, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in Japan's history. The most powerful earthquake to have hit Japan in recorded history produced a devastating tsunami with waves reaching heights of more than 130 feet that in turn caused an unprecedented multi-reactor meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This triple catastrophe claimed almost 20,000 lives, destroyed whole towns and will ultimately cost hundreds of billions of dollars for reconstruction.

Richard Samuels joins Asia Society Texas Center to offer a broad scholarly assessment of the disaster's impact on Japan's government and society.