Kuwait- Japan marks fifth anniversary of tsunami quake disasters
Date
3/11/2016 4:23:28 AM
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO Mar 11 (KUNA) -- Japan on Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that left more than 18000 people dead or missing and triggered meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.At 2:46 p.m. (05:46 GMT) the exact moment the magnitude-9.0 quake hit the northeastern region five years ago people across the country bowed their heads for a minute of silence. Somber ceremonies were held in Tokyo and the disaster-hit prefectures.In Tokyo Emperor Akihito attended a government-sponsored memorial service along with 1200 participants including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and representatives of victims. In his speech at the ceremony the Emperor said "People have worked together to overcome numerous difficulties and made great efforts toward reconstruction.Progress has been made in various fields such as the construction of disaster prevention facilities the development of safe residential areas and the rebuilding of local industries." But the Emperor noted that many people continue to live under difficult conditions to this day both in the afflicted regions and in the places where they have evacuated to. "In particular I am concerned that there may be many people who are still suffering unknown to us in places that tend to escape our notice including the elderly as they advance in age year by year. He also mentioned the enormous assistance extended to Japan by more than 160 countries.The twin natural disasters left 15894 dead and 2561 unaccounted for as of Thursday the National Police Agency said.In addition 3410 people had died from illness suicide and other causes linked to the disaster as of last September. Nearly 58000 people in the hardest-hit three prefectures are still living in makeshift residences.There are plans to build 29000 public housing units in the three prefectures for displaced victims who are unable to rebuild their homes but only about half were completed.In Fukushima local people still suffer from the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe.About 43000 residents who abandoned their homes in the vicinity of the crippled Fukushima plant following the nuclear accident are still living outside the prefecture as decontamination work in the area has not finished. (end) mk.nfm
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