Heads were bowed and prayers offered around Japan at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, the moment the magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck the Tohoku region seven years ago, resulting in a devastating tsunami.
People gathered at beaches, damaged school buildings, sites where monuments were erected for victims, or areas that were previously off limits due to the nuclear disaster that followed.
A commemorative ceremony to mark the seventh anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami was held in Tokyo with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prince Fumihito and his wife, Princess Kiko, in attendance.
In separate speeches, bereaved family members representing each of the three hardest-hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima spoke about their experiences during the somber proceedings.