The World Monuments Fund said Thursday that it will give $250,000 to rebuild seven historic buildings in the Miyagi Prefecture port of Kesennuma, which was devastated by tsunami from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The port is still trying to recover from the tsunami pounding it took after the 9.0-magnitude temblor hit.
"We waited until the humanitarian component and rescue operation was over and then we worked with the Agency for Cultural Affairs to gather information about cultural heritage sites damaged," WMF spokesman Ben Haley said in a phone interview, adding that the fund focused on "remote areas" in the prefecture.
Six of the seven buildings are designated within Japan as Registered Cultural Property and are in various states of disrepair.