Fukushima anniversary: Loss of life is 'still unbearable'
March 11, 2021
It's been 10 years since an earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Japan is holding nationwide commemorations to remember the thousands who died.
People said prayers for those who died in the deadly tsunamiImage: Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
It was the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory. Around 18,500 people were killed or left missing.
How Japan commemorated the disaster
A minute's silence was observed across the country at 2:46 p.m. local time (05:46 UTC) on Thursday, the exact moment the 9.0 magnitude quake hit Japan's coast on March 11, 2011.
Survivors prayed for the victims and remembered their loved ones.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke at a memorial service in TokyoImage: Behrouz Mehri/REUTERS
Speaking at a memorial service in Tokyo, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said:
It was still "unbearable" to contemplate the feelings of those who lost loved ones.
Japan must "never forget" the lessons learned in the disaster.
The country would continue to provide support to help people rebuild their lives.
Emperor Naruhito also expressed his condolences and said Japan had to build a stronger nation for the future.
Mourning Fukushima: 10 years on
03:12
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What happened during the disaster
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake — one of the strongest temblors on record — struck offshore and generated a towering tsunami that reached land within half an hour.
A wave as high as 19 meters (62 feet) was recorded in the coastal town of Miyako in Iwate prefecture.
In Miyagi prefecture, the tsunami swept as far as 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) inland.
The tsunami in total devastated around about 400 kilometers (240 miles) of coastline.
People placed flowers to mourn the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Iwaki, Fukushima prefectureImage: Kim Kyung-Hoon/REUTERS
Lasting impact of the Fukushima disaster
Nearly half a million people were displaced across the northeastern region. Ten years later, 42,565 people, including 35,725 from Fukushima, still haven't been able to return home.
Much of Japan's northeastern coastline has been fortified with enormous concrete seawalls as high as 15 meters (50 feet). When completed, the total length will be 432 kilometers (270 miles).
This picture, taken two days after the disaster, shows the tsunami-devastated Kamiishi city in Iwate prefectureImage: epa/picture alliance
No-go zones remain in nine Fukushima municipalities surrounding the wrecked nuclear plant. This accounts for 2.4% of prefectural land, down from more than 10% in the initial no-go zone.
About 14 million tons — enough to fill 11 enclosed baseball stadiums — of radioactive soil, trees and other waste from around Fukushima remain in waste bags piled at temporary storage sites.
The government has spent 32 trillion yen ($295 billion/€247 billion) on the region's recovery. This includes funds for the construction of roads, seawalls and houses, and support for people's livelihood.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the destroyed plant, has said its costs will total 21.5 trillion yen. This will cover decommissioning the nuclear power plant in the coming decades, compensating evacuees and decontaminating radioactive materials outside the plant.
kmm/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Artists reflect on the Fukushima disaster after 10 years
A museum south of the exclusion zone features works by Japanese artists who deal with the disaster in their works, while trying to establish a culture of remembrance for coming generations.
Image: Komori Haruka + Seo Natsumi
'Artists and the Disaster: Imagining in the 10th Year'
By organizing the exhibition "Artists and the Disaster: Imagining in the 10th Year," the art center in the city of Mito (photo), which suffered damage from the earthquake of 2011, looked back on the catastrophe after one decade through the eyes of Japanese artists.
Image: Jun Tazawa Courtesy of the Art Tower Mito
Enchanting landscapes in the exclusion zone
In his works, artist Akira Kamo paints the ambivalence of post-disaster scenery in nuclear exclusion zones: beautiful landscapes where no one can enter because of the risks of contamination from radioactive substances. This painting from 2019 is titled: "Standing Near Kitaide, Namiemachi, Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture."
Image: Ken Kato
A double-layered town
Through video, writings and paintings, the duo Haruka Komori + Natsumi Seo depict the recovering process of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, a town that suffered tremendous damage from the tsunami, and its metamorphosis through the years. This still is from the video "Double layered town, Making a song to replace our positions."
Image: Komori Haruka + Seo Natsumi
Against fear and discrimination
With his documentary film "A Classroom Divided by a Red Line," Hikaru Fujii addresses the issue of discrimination experienced by the people of Fukushima fueled by fear and anguish towards the invisible.
Image: Hikaru Fujii
Creating connections
In this video series based on encounters with real people, the artist Tadasu Takamine portrays the impact of the nuclear accident on people's daily lives after the catastrophe, and confusion regarding the radiation risks that has emerged in the Japanese society.
Image: Tadasu Takamine
A mountain turned into a pile of sand
Makiko Satake's paintings depict how the landscape of the affected areas' dramatically changed after the disaster. This work, titled "Hiyoriyama-Hello Again" is her impression of the lowest mountain in Japan located in Gamo, Sendai. The area was reduced to a wasteland after being hit by the tsunami.
Image: Makiko Satake
Restricted zone
"Don't Follow the Wind" is a collaborative project that has taken place since 2015 at multiple locations in the so-called Difficult-to-Return Zone. Twelve artists are exhibiting their work in there; but nobody can physically visit the venues until the restrictions are lifted. Grand Guignol Mirai, one of the artists involved in the project, made videos of the artists' journey to the zone.
Image: Courtesy of Don’t Follow the Wind
Processing pain through art
Artist Nishiko is collecting objects broken by the earthquake, carefully repairing them, giving them a new life, despite their painful history.
