Japan remembers Fukushima disaster victims four years on

On the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, Japan has remembered the thousands who lost their lives. The quake-tsunami disaster sparked a nuclear crisis which has left the country at odds over nuclear power. 

 Following the wail of tsunami alarm sirens at 2:46 p.m. (0546 UTC), the exact moment a 9.0-magnitude undersea quake hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, a moment of silence fell across Japan on Wednesday.
Citizens held remembrance ceremonies in towns and cities around the devastated area on Japan's northeast coast, with victims and volunteers seen joining hands in prayer or bowing their heads during the national minute of silence.
In Japan's capital, Tokyo, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko also led tributes to those who died in Japan's worst peace-time disaster.
"We can never forget the image of the terrifying tsunami we saw on television that day," Akihito said at the ceremony.
"The situation surrounding disaster victims remains severe," he added. "By being aware of the pain and sorrow of those affected by the disaster, and simultaneously providing health-care and moral support, we must accelerate the reconstruction process."

Visible scars
What has become known as the Fukushima disaster began with an earthquake magnitude 9-quake which struck roughly 70 kilometers (43 miles) east of Oshika Peninsula at a depth of 24 kilometers.

Some 20 minutes after the earthquake hit, a tsunami swept across coastal towns from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Okinawa, destroying more than 400,000 buildings and homes, and killing 15,891people. According to Japan's Police Agency, another 2,584 are still listed as missing. Human remains continue to be found.
A nuclear disaster compounded the horror when tsunami waves reached the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, triggering reactor meltdowns and explosions.

Despite the billions poured into reconstruction efforts by the Japanese government, scars on the landscape remain visible and the tragedy continues to wreak misery for many................http://dw.de/p/1EoTu 
11/3/15
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