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    March 10, 2012

Japan to Observe Anniversary of Deadly Quake, Tsunami

   VOA News
   A man rides his bicycle in an area damaged by the March 11, 2011
   earthquake and tsunami in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture March 10, 2012.
   Photo: Reuters
   A man rides his bicycle in an area damaged by the March 11, 2011
   earthquake and tsunami in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture March 10, 2012.

   Sunday marks the first anniversary of the earthquake and subsequent
   tsunami that struck Japan last year, leading to one of the worst
   nuclear crises in history.
   As vigils and ceremonies take place to mark the occasion, the nation
   continues to work to recover from that triple disaster.
   Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wrote in the Washington Post
   Saturday that Japan will forget neither the nearly 20,000 people lost
   in the disaster nor the outpouring of support from other nations after
   the event. He said Japan is "deeply indebted" and "forever
   appreciative."
   At a formal ceremony in Tokyo and elsewhere on Sunday, much of Japan's
   public routine will stop at 2:46 pm local time (0546 UTC) to mark the
   moment last March 11 the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's
   east coast. The temblor sent an enormous wall of water crashing into
   seaside towns and villages.
   The wave struck the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, causing
   three reactors to melt down and leaving some tracts of land
   uninhabitable for decades because of radiation levels. A year later,
   people are still living in temporary shelters, many of them still
   unemployed as they struggle to put their lives back together.
   Much of Japan's worst-hit areas are now clear of debris, but the extent
   of the damage is such that it may take many years before some regions
   can start rebuilding.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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