Japan Marks 15th Anniversary of March 2011 Disaster

Natori, Miyagi Pref., March 11 (Jiji Press)–People in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. Wednesday, the exact time when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of the northeastern Japan region 15 years ago, unleashing deadly tsunami waves. The quake and tsunami disaster on March 11, 2011, which triggered a nuclear accident in Fukushima, left 22,230 people dead or missing nationwide, including those who died from indirect causes. It is the largest natural disaster in postwar Japan. In the disaster, over 700 people died in the Yuriage district in the Miyagi city of Natori. On Wednesday, residents and others released into the sky about 470 balloons containing messages such as “I won’t forget any of you.” Kyoko Tadokoro, 72, a resident of the Miyagi city of Iwanuma, lost her then 31-year-old daughter Megumi Sugai. Saying that the two had “gone everywhere together,” Tadokoro added, “I think I can start to move on (15 years after the disaster).” In the Iwate town of Otsuchi, local resident Takafumi Sasaki, 75, put his hands together at the grave of his younger brother who died at 58 while working as a town official during the disaster. “I wish he had evacuated instead of holding a meeting,” Sasaki said. “Everyone is doing well,” he said to the gravestone of his brother. In the Hajikami Suginoshita district of Kesennuma, a Miyagi city, Kazuo Sato, 72, who lost his mother, raised “koinobori” carp-shaped decorative windsocks, traditionally flown to pray for the healthy growth of boys. He raised the streamers at the spot for the first time since April 2011, when the area was still covered with debris. At that time, he hoped the koinobori would help lift residents’ spirits. “I lost my home and my work, and I’ve struggled desperately to survive,” Sato said. “Finally, I feel ready to raise (the streamers) again.” In the town of Tomioka, Fukushima, where 24 people died in the disaster, a surfer was seen on a beach where ice still remained in puddles in a seaside parking lot. The 55-year-old public servant said he had lost a fellow surfer in the tsunami that day. “I came to pay my respects,” he said, gazing out to sea. “Fifteen years feels long and also short,” he said. “Tomioka’s recovery is still halfway through.” To remember the victims of the disaster, ceremonies were also hosted on the day by local governments. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended one held by the Fukushima prefectural government, while postdisaster reconstruction minister Takao Makino was present at an event by the Iwate prefectural government. In Tokyo, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, along with their daughter Princess Aiko, observed a moment of silence at the Imperial Palace, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko also offered silent prayers at their residence in the Akasaka Estate. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]