Japan Marks 8th Anniversary of March 2011 Disaster

Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Japan marked the eighth anniversary on Monday of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, offering prayers for the victims of the catastrophe and renewing resolve to accelerate disaster reconstruction. The Japanese government hosted a memorial ceremony at the National Theatre in Tokyo, which was attended by about 940 people, including Prince Akishino, his wife, Princess Kiko, the heads of the three branches of government and bereaved families of disaster victims. The participants offered a minute of silence for the victims at 2:46 p.m. (5:46 a.m. GMT), the exact time when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hard hit northeastern Japan coastal areas eight years ago, triggering a huge tsunami. "Steady progress has been made on reconstruction efforts in disaster areas," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in his speech at the ceremony. He said that efforts to remove evacuation orders have been promoted in areas designated as evacuation zones due to contamination by radioactive substances from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which suffered a triple meltdown accident. But at the same time, Abe noted that some 14,000 people are still living in temporary housing as evacuees eight years after the disaster. "The government intends to provide seamless support for evacuees, in line with progress in the rebuilding of their lives, in order to speed up disaster reconstruction," the prime minister said. He also showed the determination of his administration to implement a three-year program to make Japan more resilient to natural disasters, learning lessons from the disaster. In his speech, Prince Akishino, the younger son of Emperor Akihito, said, "We all hope that people who have been making daily efforts for reconstruction while facing difficulties can restore peaceful days as soon as possible." Attending the ceremony as a representative of victims' families, Yuki Takahashi from Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, said, "I never forget that day and won't give up my future." Takahashi, 41, said he wants his mother, who died in the disaster, to "keep a close eye on our efforts for reconstruction." "I still have a big hole in my heart as I have been struggling with regret, helplessness, desperate sadness and pain," said Masaaki Konno, 52, from the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture. His mother remains unaccounted for since the tsunami. Representing people in disaster areas, Kaneko Takahara from the town of Naraha in Fukushima Prefecture, home to the TEPCO plant, expressed gratitude for support they received from many parts of Japan. "We have been able to make the first step toward reconstruction thanks to encouragement and support from people across the country," Takahara, 70, said. "I offer my heartfelt thanks to people who care about Fukushima." As of Friday, the death toll from the March 2011 disaster totaled 15,897, with 2,533 people remaining unaccounted for, according to the National Police Agency. A government-sponsored ceremony to mourn the victims of the disaster has been held every year since 2012. END