Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima mark 14th anniversary of 2011 disaster

Participants observed a moment of silence at 2.46pm, the exact time when the 9.0-magnitude temblor struck off the Pacific coast of the region March 11, 2011, which triggered the gigantic tsunami and then the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Around 370 people, including Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, attended a ceremony hosted by the Fukushima prefectural government in the prefecture's namesake capital.

"New moves toward rebuilding our beloved hometown are spreading," Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori said. "Although we still have a long and difficult road ahead, we'll never give up," he said. "We'll be up for the challenge and will achieve reconstruction."

Hideko Otake, 60, a resident of the Fukushima town of Okuma, said, "The support and letters from people throughout the country during my days as an evacuee gave me hope to live."

"I hope to give back to society by passing on my stories about how encouraged I was and about the disaster," said Otake, whose husband was recognized as having died from an indirect cause linked to the disaster. I

shiba said, "We'll not let the lessons learned through great sacrifices fade away but instead pass them on to future generations." He vowed to turn Japan into "the world's leader in disaster management," based on its experiences with natural disasters such as the Noto Peninsula quake on Jan. 1, 2024, and recent massive wildfires in Iwate.

Speaking to reporters, Ishiba said that the central government's next five-year reconstruction plan for areas affected by the 2011 disaster from fiscal 2026 will "far exceed" the current plan worth 1.6 trillion yen through fiscal 2025.

In Iwate, a ceremony was held at Kamaishi Memorial Park in the Unosumai district in the city of Kamaishi, which suffered devastating damage from the tsunami.

The event, hosted by the city government, was attended by some 120 people including bereaved families.

"I'm never going to forget the city of Kamaishi that day and the heaps of rubble and debris piled up like after a war," said Kinae Miyata, 76, who lost her husband and a son in the tsunami. Miyata, who runs a company, said she managed to resume business operations thanks to support from many people.

"I'm going to work hard for the good of the region and Kamaishi as a way to return the favor," she added.

In Miyagi, some 70 people attended a ceremony held in the city of Ishinomaki, where about 3,800 people perished, including those who died from indirect causes.

Ishinomaki Mayor Masami Saito voiced gratitude for the assistance provided by people around the world. "We'll pass on the stories of people's kindness to the future generations," Saito said, vowing to promote reconstruction of regional communities and extend psychological help to those affected.

At their residence in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako offered silent prayers for the victims of the 2011 disaster, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko also observed a moment of silence in their residence, as did the Emperor's daughter, Princess Aiko, at her workplace of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Photo by Reuters