TOKYO (AP) – Japan on Thursday celebrated the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in the northeastern region, where the lives of many survivors are still in turmoil.
Wearing bouquets, many walked to the coast or visited tombs to pray for family members and friends washed up by the tsunami. Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga were among those who observed a moment of silence at 14:46 – the moment the quake began – at a memorial in Tokyo.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, was one of the largest recorded and devastated a massive tsunami that spread far within the country and devastated towns and collapsed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. More than 18,000 people died, mostly in the tsunami, and nearly half a million people were displaced.
In addition, the government has recognized about 3,700 others – most of whom are from Fukushima – who died of causes related to the disaster.
Ten years later, more than 40,000 people are still unable to return home to and around Fukushima, where areas near the devastated plant are still out of use due to radioactive contamination.
“Reconstruction in disaster areas has progressed significantly, but the recovery of the hearts of the survivors is not making as much progress as we would like,” said Makoto Saito, a teacher at a primary school in Minamisoma, a city run by the Triple disaster was struck. where he lost his 5-year-old son Shota in the tsunami.
Saito, who represents the survivors of Fukushima, said in his speech during the ceremony that he feared memories outside the disaster area were fading and that he was committed to continuing the lessons from the disaster and stories of his son.
Naruhito said “my heart aches” when he thinks of those who have struggled with hardship, lost drastic changes in their lives, their loved ones, jobs and communities. He particularly noted the suffering of many Fukushima residents who could not return.
“I also find it important to heal emotional scars and monitor the mental and physical health of the afflicted people, including the elderly and children.” He stressed the importance of people standing by them and helping to reconstruct their lives “without leaving even a single soul behind in this difficult situation.”
Reconstruction of roads, railways and other important infrastructure and housing was mostly completed at more than 30 billion yen ($ 280 billion), but much vacant land remains vacant in coastal towns further north in Miyagi and Iwate, where existing population losses have been accelerated by the disaster. .
In the city of Otsuchi in Iwate, where the tsunami destroyed the town hall and killed about 40 workers, families gathered in dark suits on a piece of vacant land where the building used to stand. In Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, dozens of residents prayed at a cenotaph with the names of more than 3,000 victims.
No deaths were confirmed directly as a result of the radiation, but Fukushima fell behind in the recovery efforts, with 2.4% of the land classified as no-go zones near the nuclear plant. The dismantling of the molten reactors is an unprecedented challenge, and after ten years of work, it is asked after 10 years of work whether it can be done at all.
Thursday’s ceremony is the last national commemoration of the 2011 disaster organized by the government. It comes just two weeks before the Olympic torch relay starts from Fukushima for the delayed Summer Games in Tokyo in July.
Suga said the Olympics would showcase Japan’s recovery from the disaster and be proof of the human victory over the coronavirus pandemic. However, some disaster survivors say that only half of their work has been done.
“We are now at a stage to complete the disaster reconstruction,” Suga said during the memorial service. He acknowledged that some people were still struggling with the pandemic that was adding to their plight, and promised to provide support to individual needs to restore their environment, livelihoods and businesses.
The rest of the country also marked the day to raise awareness for disaster prevention. In Kyoto, western Japan, authorities conducted emergency drills.
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