Prayers, protests in Japan
Source: Agencies |
March 12, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear rallies, Japan yesterday marked one year since an earthquake and tsunami killed thousands and set off a radiation crisis that shattered public trust in atomic power and the nation's leaders.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeast coast, killing nearly 16,000 people and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for. The country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs.
In the port town of Ofunato, hundreds of residents clad in black gathered to lay white chrysanthemums in memory of the town's 420 dead and missing.
"We can't just stay sad. Our mission is to face reality and move forward step by step," said Kosei Chiba, 46, who lost his mother and wife in the disaster. "But the damage the town suffered was too big and our psychological scars are too deep. We need a long time to rebuild."
The country observed a minute's silence at 2:46pm, the time the quake struck.
Residents of Ofunato gathered before a makeshift altar with a calm, sun-flecked sea behind them. Ofunato paused again 33 minutes later - the time a year ago when a 23-meter tsunami engulfed the town of 41,000.
Just a kilometer from Tokyo Electric Power Company's wrecked Fukushima plant, where reactor meltdowns triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl, residents of the abandoned town of Okuma were allowed back for just a few hours to honour the dead.
Authorities have imposed a 20-kilometer no-go zone around the plant and residents may never be allowed back.
"My home is in Namie town, so we can't go home," said Katsuko Ishii, who had to flee from the exclusion zone.
"There are really no words for it," said Ishii, attending a memorial service with her 3-year-old daughter in Iwaki City, Fukushima prefecture.
Along the northeast coast, police and coast guard officers, urged on by families of the missing, continue their dogged search for remains despite diminishing chances of finding any.
Solemn reflection
The prevailing mood in tsunami-hit communities was one of solemn reflection and resolve to move on despite frustration with the confused official response and slow pace of rebuilding.
In contrast, those who felt betrayed by Japan's "nuclear village" - the powerful nexus of utilities, politicians and bureaucrats that promoted nuclear power as clean and safe - were less forgiving.
"We are angry at Tepco and came here to show our anger," said Tomoe Suzuki, 65, a restaurant owner and chef.
"The earthquake was something that was unavoidable because it was a natural disaster, but you can't stay quiet about Fukushima because it's a man-made disaster," she said, marching with about 12,000 other protesters in Tokyo.
The protest was one of several around the country calling for Japan's reactors to be scrapped.
Emperor Akihito attended a memorial service in Tokyo's National Theater and urged people to work together, echoing his unprecedented televised address five days after the disaster.
"I hope all the people will keep the victims in their hearts and work so that the situation in the disaster-hit areas improves," the 78-year-old monarch said.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged to work for recovery.
"Our forebears who built this country's prosperity have emerged from each crisis even stronger. We will fulfill our historic mission of realizing the rebirth of this nation," he said.
Tepco, criticized by many for its failure to prepare for the disaster, issued a fresh apology.
"Each and every member of our company and its group remembers March 11 and will work with our all hearts to solve challenges with safety as our first priority," said Toshio Nishizawa, Tepco's president.
Slow progress in drawing up plans for the tsunami-damaged and radiation-contaminated region is deepening the misery of survivors, about 326,000 of whom are still homeless, including 80,000 evacuated from the vicinity of the Fukushima plant.
While the government declared it had reached "cold shutdown" in December, the nation lives under a cloud of anxiety over the long-term health effects of radiation.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeast coast, killing nearly 16,000 people and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for. The country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs.
In the port town of Ofunato, hundreds of residents clad in black gathered to lay white chrysanthemums in memory of the town's 420 dead and missing.
"We can't just stay sad. Our mission is to face reality and move forward step by step," said Kosei Chiba, 46, who lost his mother and wife in the disaster. "But the damage the town suffered was too big and our psychological scars are too deep. We need a long time to rebuild."
The country observed a minute's silence at 2:46pm, the time the quake struck.
Residents of Ofunato gathered before a makeshift altar with a calm, sun-flecked sea behind them. Ofunato paused again 33 minutes later - the time a year ago when a 23-meter tsunami engulfed the town of 41,000.
Just a kilometer from Tokyo Electric Power Company's wrecked Fukushima plant, where reactor meltdowns triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl, residents of the abandoned town of Okuma were allowed back for just a few hours to honour the dead.
Authorities have imposed a 20-kilometer no-go zone around the plant and residents may never be allowed back.
"My home is in Namie town, so we can't go home," said Katsuko Ishii, who had to flee from the exclusion zone.
"There are really no words for it," said Ishii, attending a memorial service with her 3-year-old daughter in Iwaki City, Fukushima prefecture.
Along the northeast coast, police and coast guard officers, urged on by families of the missing, continue their dogged search for remains despite diminishing chances of finding any.
Solemn reflection
The prevailing mood in tsunami-hit communities was one of solemn reflection and resolve to move on despite frustration with the confused official response and slow pace of rebuilding.
In contrast, those who felt betrayed by Japan's "nuclear village" - the powerful nexus of utilities, politicians and bureaucrats that promoted nuclear power as clean and safe - were less forgiving.
"We are angry at Tepco and came here to show our anger," said Tomoe Suzuki, 65, a restaurant owner and chef.
"The earthquake was something that was unavoidable because it was a natural disaster, but you can't stay quiet about Fukushima because it's a man-made disaster," she said, marching with about 12,000 other protesters in Tokyo.
The protest was one of several around the country calling for Japan's reactors to be scrapped.
Emperor Akihito attended a memorial service in Tokyo's National Theater and urged people to work together, echoing his unprecedented televised address five days after the disaster.
"I hope all the people will keep the victims in their hearts and work so that the situation in the disaster-hit areas improves," the 78-year-old monarch said.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged to work for recovery.
"Our forebears who built this country's prosperity have emerged from each crisis even stronger. We will fulfill our historic mission of realizing the rebirth of this nation," he said.
Tepco, criticized by many for its failure to prepare for the disaster, issued a fresh apology.
"Each and every member of our company and its group remembers March 11 and will work with our all hearts to solve challenges with safety as our first priority," said Toshio Nishizawa, Tepco's president.
Slow progress in drawing up plans for the tsunami-damaged and radiation-contaminated region is deepening the misery of survivors, about 326,000 of whom are still homeless, including 80,000 evacuated from the vicinity of the Fukushima plant.
While the government declared it had reached "cold shutdown" in December, the nation lives under a cloud of anxiety over the long-term health effects of radiation.
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