TOKYO (AP) – Japan on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that struck its northeastern region, where the lives of many survivors are still awaited.
Wearing bouquets, many went to the coast or visited graves to pray for tsunami-washed relatives and friends. Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga were among those who observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. – when the tremor began – at a memorial in Tokyo.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, was one of the largest recorded and triggered a massive tsunami that swept through the interior, destroying cities and causing melting at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. More than 18,000 people died, mostly during the tsunami, and nearly half a million people were displaced.
In addition, the government has recognized around 3,700 people – mostly in Fukushima – who have died in disaster-related causes.
Ten years later, more than 40,000 people are still unable to return home to and around the city of Fukushima, where areas near the destroyed plant are still banned due to radioactive contamination.
“Reconstruction in disaster-stricken areas has advanced significantly, but recovering the hearts of survivors is not making as much progress as we would like,” said Makoto Saito, a teacher at an elementary school in Minamisoma, a city plagued by the triple disaster where he lost his son. 5 years, Shota, in the tsunami.
Saito, representing the Fukushima survivors, said in his speech at the ceremony that he feared that memories would fade outside the disaster area and pledged to continue telling the disaster lessons and his son’s stories.
Naruhito said that “my heart hurts” when he thinks of those who have struggled, drastic changes in their lives, lost their loved ones, jobs and communities. He noted in particular the suffering of many Fukushima residents who are unable to return.
“I also think it is important to heal the emotional scars and watch over the mental and physical health of those affected, including the elderly and children,” he said. He stressed the importance of people being with them and helping to rebuild their lives “without leaving a single soul behind in this difficult situation.”
Reconstruction of roads, train lines and other key infrastructure and housing has been largely completed at a cost of more than 30 billion yen ($ 280 billion), but a lot of vacant land remains empty in coastal cities. further north in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, where existing population losses have been accelerated by the disaster.
In the town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture, where the tsunami destroyed the town hall, killing about 40 employees, families in dark suits gathered on a piece of empty land on which the building stood. In Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, dozens of residents prayed for a cenotaph named after more than 3,000 victims.
No direct radiation deaths were confirmed, but Fukushima lagged behind in recovery efforts, with 2.4% of the land being classified as no-go areas near the nuclear power plant. Decommissioning of molten reactors is an unprecedented challenge, with some questions after 10 years of work if at all possible.
Thursday’s ceremony is the last national commemoration for the 2011 government disaster. It comes just two weeks before the start of the Fukushima Torch Olympics for the late summer games in Tokyo in July.
Suga said the Olympics will show Japan’s recovery from the disaster and prove human victory over the coronavirus pandemic. However, some disaster survivors say their job is still half done.
“We are now in a stage to complete the reconstruction of the disaster,” Suga said at the memorial service. He acknowledged that some people are still struggling with the growing pandemic and pledged to provide support to meet individual needs in restoring the environment, livelihoods and business.
The rest of the country also marked Disaster Prevention Awareness Day. In Kyoto, western Japan, authorities conducted emergency exercises.
___
Follow Mari Yamaguchi at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi