Onagawa nuke plant saved from tsunami by one man's strength, determination - The Mainichi Daily News: Hirai was apparently the only person on the entire project to push for the 14.8-meter breakwater, while many of his colleagues said that 12 meters would be sufficient and derided Hirai's proposal as excessive. Hirai's authority and drive, however, eventually prevailed, and Tohoku Electric spent the extra money to build the 14.8-meter-tall shield. Some 40 years later, on March 11, 2011, a 13-meter-high tsunami slammed into the coast at Onagawa.
Another of Hirai's proposals also helped save the plant during the disaster. Expecting the sea to draw back before a tsunami, he made sure the plant's cooling system was designed so it could still draw water for the reactors.
The tsunami that Hirai anticipated came 25 years after his death, and we can say that he was absolutely right. What made him so implacable and gave him such a strong sense of responsibility?