Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on March 11, as people across Japan remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck one year ago, killing more than 19,000 people.
Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended a memorial ceremony in Tokyo on March 11, as people across Japan remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck one year ago, killing more than 19,000 people.
At 2:46 p.m., the exact time the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake rocked the Tohoku region a year ago, crowds of people, workers in offices and families in homes observed a moment of silence.
After the 1,200 or so people dressed in black at the National Theater in Tokyo bowed in silence for the disaster victims, the emperor delivered his speech.
"It is expected that many difficult challenges lie ahead in the reconstruction of the afflicted areas. It is my hope that the people's hearts will always be with the afflicted people and the afflicted regions and that everyone will continue to work towards improving the conditions of those areas," Akihito said.
Empress Michiko attended the ceremony with the emperor.
According to Imperial Household Agency officials, the emperor expressed his strong desire to attend the ceremony even though he is still recovering from heart bypass surgery. He was discharged from a hospital in Tokyo on March 4.
The imperial couple attended the first 20 minutes or so of the ceremony, about half of the time of the original plan.
In Noda’s speech, the prime minister pledged to rebuild the disaster areas as soon as possible.
Referring to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant caused by the quake and tsunami, Noda said, "We will make every effort to resuscitate (Fukushima Prefecture) so that residents can once again have their beautiful hometowns back."
Noda also promised to pass on the lessons from the disasters to future generations and to never forget the spirit of helping each other and the gratitude that brought people together during the most trying times.
Representatives from the three prefectures hardest hit by last year's quake and tsunami--Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima--also gave speeches at the ceremony, which was attended by a number of representatives from foreign nations that provided support to the relief effort last year.
The quake was the strongest recorded in Japan's history, setting off the tsunami that towered more than 20 meters in some spots along the northeastern coast, destroying tens of thousands of homes and wreaking widespread destruction.
In the devastated northeastern coastal town of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, a siren sounded and a Buddhist priest in a purple robe rang a huge bell at a damaged temple overlooking a barren area where houses once stood.
Naomi Fujino, a 42-year-old Rikuzentakata resident who lost her father in the tsunami, was in tears recalling last March 11.
With her mother, she escaped to a nearby hill where they watched the enormous wave wash away their home. They waited all night, but her father never came to meet them as he had promised. Two months later, his body was found.
"I wanted to save people, but I couldn't. I couldn't even help my father. I cannot keep on crying," Fujino said. "What can I do but keep on going?"
The tsunami also knocked out the vital cooling systems at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, causing meltdowns at three reactors and spewing radiation into the air. Some 100,000 residents who were forced to flee remain in temporary housing or with relatives, and a 20-kilometer area around the plant is still off limits.
All told, 325,000 people rendered homeless or evacuated are still in temporary housing. While much of the debris along the tsunami-ravaged coast has been gathered into massive piles, very little rebuilding has begun.
Beyond the huge cleanup, many towns are still finalizing reconstruction plans, some of which involve moving residential areas to higher ground. Bureaucratic delays in coordination between the central government, prefectural authorities and local officials have also slowed rebuilding efforts.
A year after the disaster, police and other experts continue to search for the bodies of 3,155 people listed as missing, adding to the sense of loss for mourning relatives.
Anti-nuclear protesters at a downtown Tokyo park also held a moment of silence March 11 before marching toward the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima plant. Public opposition to nuclear power has grown following the Fukushima disaster, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.
The central government says the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is stable and that radiation has subsided significantly, but the plant's chief acknowledged to journalists visiting the complex recently that it remains in a fragile state, and makeshift equipment--some mended with tape--could be seen keeping crucial systems running.
Enormous risks and challenges lie ahead at the Fukushima plant, including locating and removing melted nuclear fuel from the inside of the reactors and disposing spent fuel rods. Complete decommissioning of the plant could take 40 years.
Only two of Japan's 54 reactors are now running while those shut down for regular inspections undergo special tests to check their ability to withstand similar disasters. They could all go offline by the end of April amid local opposition to restarting them.
The Japanese government has pledged to reduce reliance on nuclear power, which supplied about 30 percent of the nation's energy needs before the disaster, but says it needs to restart some nuclear plants during the transition period.
While no one has died from radiation exposure, residents are worried that the radiation might show up as cancer in coming years, particularly among children. Pilot efforts to make radiation-contaminated land around the plant inhabitable again have begun, using everything from shovels and high-powered water guns to chemicals that absorb radiation.
Noda has acknowledged failures in the government's response to the disaster, being too slow in relaying key information and believing too much in "a myth of safety" about nuclear power.
(Compiled from Asahi Shimbun and The Associated Press)
* * *
As we commemorate the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, together with the people gathered here today, I would like to express my deepest condolences for the many people who lost their lives in this earthquake.
A year ago today, Japan was struck by an unexpectedly huge earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in almost twenty thousand dead and missing persons. We must not forget that this included many people, including fire fighters, who lost their lives as they devoted themselves to relief operations and disaster control without regard for their own safety.
As this earthquake and tsunami caused the nuclear power plant accident, those living in areas designated as the danger zone lost their homes and livelihoods and had to leave the places they used to live. In order for them to live there again safely, we have to overcome the problem of radioactive contamination, which is a formidable task.
After the earthquake, many people, including members of the government and the local authorities as well as many volunteers, went to the afflicted areas and carried out various efforts to support the afflicted people. I am sure their activities helped to comfort the evacuees living under harsh conditions and encouraged them to think positively about the future. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the people who have worked for the afflicted people and afflicted regions and those who have been trying to contain the damage from the nuclear power plant accident.
Many people overseas responded to the disaster by sending us relief teams and offering us help in various ways. In many cables of sympathy I received from the foreign heads of state, they commented that they were truly impressed by how, under severe conditions, the afflicted people were helping each other and working towards reconstruction with a strong sense of solidarity. I am deeply grateful to the kindnesses shown by the people around the world.
It is expected that many difficult challenges lie ahead in the reconstruction of the afflicted areas. It is my hope that the people's hearts will always be with the afflicted people and the afflicted regions, and that everyone will continue to work towards improving the conditions of those areas. It is important for us to never forget this disaster and hand down the lessons we learned to future generations, and foster the proper attitude towards disaster prevention, with the aim of making our country a safer place.
In closing, I would like to express my hope that Japan will become once again a country where people can live with a sense of security and again offer my sincere condolences for all those who lost their lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake.