Tsunami waves as tall as surmounted the long and deep Kamaishi Tsunami Protection Breakwater, which had been completed in March 2009, after three decades of construction, at a cost of $1.5 billion. It was once recognized by the "Guinness World Records" as the world's deepest breakwater. The subsequent decision to rebuild the breakwater at a cost of over 650 million dollars was criticised as "a waste of money that aims to protect an area of rapidly declining population with technology that is a proven failure".