Japan on March 11 commemorated the 15th anniversary of the 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that devastated its northeastern coast, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used the occasion to pledge continued reconstruction.
Japan observed a nationwide moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the disaster. More than 22,000 people died, mostly in the tsunami, and 160,000 residents were evacuated from Fukushima because of radiation released by the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with about 26,000 still unable or unwilling to return.
Takaichi, who attended the memorial ceremony in Fukushima, said that recovery from the disaster on March 11, 2011, requires “medium-to-long-term efforts.”
“The government will continue to stand at the fore, pressing ahead with the safe and steady decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station of Tokyo electric power company, on which reconstruction is premised,” she said….
Japan Marks 15th Anniversary of Fukushima Disaster
