Chinanews.com, March 11 (Xinhua) According to Kyodo News, it has been 12 years since the "3.11" earthquake in Japan.
Despite progress in infrastructure construction, about 31,000 people across Japan are still living in evacuation due to the impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident.
At 2:46 p.m. local time on the 11th, a memorial service was held in the disaster-stricken areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
Data map: On March 11, 2011, after the "3.11 Earthquake", the ruins of the disaster area in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, were hit by a tsunami.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the memorial ceremony hosted by Fukushima Prefecture, saying that "we will do our best for the comprehensive reconstruction and regeneration of Fukushima and the reconstruction of Tohoku."
At Fumon-ji Temple in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, stone statues made by the bereaved family members are lined up.
"Here we are," said the parents of Motoko Onodera, who was traveling from Eniwa, Hokkaido. Motoko, their second daughter, was 29 years old when she was working at a high school in Rikuzentakata City and disappeared in the tsunami.
Her parents could only caress the carved stone statues and express their condolences.
In the summer of 2022, some areas in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture will finally be able to live.
When the accident happened, Suzuki Shiro, who taught at a high school in the town, said: "These 12 years are very long."
On the afternoon of March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the coast of northeastern Japan, triggering a huge tsunami.
According to statistics from the Japanese National Police Agency, as of the end of February 2023, a total of 15,900 people were killed and 2,523 people were missing across Japan.
According to the Revival Agency, as of the end of March 2022, the number of related deaths due to fatigue during the evacuation period reached 3,789.