At 2:46 p. m. when the earthquake struck, other people from all over Japan stopped to practice a minute of silence. In Tokyo’s central grocery shopping district of Ginza, other people stopped to pray on the sidewalk when a bell rang, marking the moment.
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In the city of Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, a team of 10 uniformed police officers examined gravel and sand on the beach as part of an annual search for the remains of others still missing. Survivors prayed near the bare beams that once served as the city’s crisis prevention center, where dozens of people died. In the city of Natori, about 400 more people prayed and released balloons with messages of mourning.
In Ishinomaki City in Iwate prefecture, residents gathered in a hilltop park where many of them took shelter 13 years ago, mourning as they stood facing the sea. In Rikuzentakata, about 100 people prayed atop a massive concrete seawall.
And in a rite in Fukushima prefecture, where some 20,000 people are still unable to return home because of radiation, Gov. Masao Uchibori vowed that reconstruction would continue as the decades-long cleanup of the nuclear plant continues.
Police officers pray silently as they prepare to search for the remains of others still missing after the 2011 earthquake in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, March 11, 2024. (Kyodo News AP)
“We will not give up,” he said. “I promise those who suffered from the earthquake and tsunami that we will recover at all costs. “
A wall of water more than 15 meters high crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi offshore nuclear power plant, destroying its power and cooling systems, causing three of its six reactors to melt down and spewing radiation into surrounding areas.
The disaster initially forced more than 160,000 people to leave their homes. Work to remove highly radioactive melted fuel debris has still not begun at the plant, and the overall decommissioning project is expected to last decades.
At the rite in Fukushima, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed his pledge that the government would help secure jobs, livelihoods and the decommissioning of the plant so that former citizens can return home.
“We will continue to do everything possible for a complete recovery and rebirth, as well as the recovery of the northeast region,” he said.
Most of the deaths from the tsunami and earthquake occurred in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, north of Fukushima, but those populations were able to do so more temporarily because they were not exposed to nuclear waste. Reconstruction of roads, dams and other infrastructure is largely complete in Iwate. and Miyagi, but many former citizens have not returned home due to the loss of communities.
This year’s commemorative events also paid tribute to the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Japan’s north-central Noto region on Jan. 1, prompting fresh calls for a review of national evacuation plans, including nuclear power plants.
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Kishida later told reporters the government would work to ensure the ruined Fukushima Daiichi plant is decommissioned safely and transparently, citing recent mishaps including a contaminated water leak within the plant complex.
In a step that the government and TEPCO see as decommissioning, the plant began discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea last August. The questionable landings sparked protests from local fishermen and neighboring countries, including China, which has banned imports of Japanese seafood.
A national memorial has not been held in Tokyo since the 10th anniversary, and municipalities in disaster-hit areas now hold local events every year.