Jin Sato, mayor of Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, believed it was his responsibility to decide whether to preserve or demolish a town building ravaged by the March 2011 tsunami.
"Because I felt guilty for surviving the disaster, I thought I had to be the one who decides," Sato said in a recent interview.
The building is now set to be preserved as a disaster relic of the town, after its management is returned from the Miyagi prefectural government to the town on July 1.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.