Japan marks 12 years since quake and tsunami triggered Fukushima crisis
2011年3月11日の震災から12年後の土曜日、最初の写真は、岩手県陸前高田市の「奇跡の一本松」から昇る太陽です。日本は土曜日、東北地方を襲った巨大地震と津波から12年を迎え、15,000人以上が死亡し、後始末に数十年を要する原子力災害を引き起こした。(English) This photo shows the sun rising over the 'Miracle Pine Tree' in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, on Saturday, 12 years after the 11th March 2011 disaster. Japan on Saturday marked 12 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country's northeast, killing more than 15,000 people and triggering a nuclear disaster that will take decades to clean up.
Japan marks 12 years since the quake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima crisis
//Summary - Level-C1//
Japan marks the 12th anniversary of a massive earthquake and tsunami that killed over 15,000 people and triggered a nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Around 31,000 people are still displaced, and decommissioning work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex will continue for decades. Japan's government plans to restart nuclear reactors, but mistrust among activists remains. Controversy surrounds the release of treated water stored at the Fukushima plant into the sea, with local people, fishing businesses, and neighbouring countries expressing concern. Few former residents have returned to reopened areas.
//Summary - Level-C2//
Japan marked the 12th anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's northeast, killing over 15,000 people and triggering a nuclear disaster that will take decades to clean up. While recovery efforts have progressed, around 31,000 people remain displaced, and plans to clean up the Fukushima nuclear complex remain controversial. The government plans to allow reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit. Controversy remains over the clean-up of the nuclear disaster, including plans to release treated water into the sea, with opposition from local people, fishing businesses, and neighbouring countries.
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On Saturday, Japan marked 12 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country's northeast, killing more than 15,000 people and triggering a nuclear disaster that will take decades to clean up.
Recovery from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures have progressed in the years since, but around 31,000 people remained displaced as of November 2022. Plans to clean up the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex are also controversial.
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More than a decade after the disaster, the national government no longer holds a memorial service, while municipalities in affected areas have events on a reduced scale.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend a ceremony hosted by the Fukushima prefectural government later on Saturday. His government is planning controversial changes to nuclear energy policy, including allowing reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit.
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Japan's nuclear reactors were shut down after the disaster, and most remain offline today. But the global energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine has sent electricity bills soaring in Japan, prompting a government push to restart the reactors as polls show public opinion on nuclear power is softening.
Mistrust of nuclear power still runs deep among activists who accuse Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the operator of the Fukushima plant, of safety lapses that have upset local communities.
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The latest figures from the National Police Agency, released on Thursday, put the death toll from the disaster at 15,900, with 2,523 people still unaccounted for - the first time in 12 years that the figures have not risen.
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According to the Reconstruction Agency, the number of deaths related to the disaster, including those due to illness or stress-related suicide, stood at 3,789 as of March 31 last year.
Ayako Yanai, a 67-year-old resident of Okuma, one of the Fukushima cities where the crippled nuclear plant is located, lost her father-in-law and husband in 2016 and 2019, respectively, when they were evacuated within the prefecture.
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But their deaths were not recognised as related to the disaster because too much time had passed. Disagreeing with the assessments, Yanai said: "Stress builds up when you keep moving to places you don't know. It has nothing to do with how many years it's been".
Controversy remains over the clean-up of the nuclear disaster, including plans to release treated water stored at the crippled Fukushima plant into the sea in the spring or summer.
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Water contaminated after being pumped into the reactors to cool melted fuel has accumulated at the plant. The volume also increases due to rainwater and groundwater seeping into the site.
In 2022, construction will begin on an approximately one-kilometre-long tunnel that will discharge into the sea the more than 1.3 million tonnes of treated water accumulated at the clean-up site as of February 16. Already 96% of the available water tanks have been filled, and their capacity is expected to be reached by summer or autumn this year.
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The opposition has come from various sources, including local people and fishing businesses, who fear releasing water into the Pacific will cause reputational damage. Neighbouring countries, including South Korea and China, have also expressed concern.
A no-go zone remains in place around the Fukushima plant and decommissioning work is expected to continue until sometime between 2041 and 2051.
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The partial reopening of some of the last areas inaccessible since the nuclear disaster has progressed.
Between June and August last year, evacuation orders were lifted in some areas of Katsurao, Okuma and Futaba municipalities.
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But few registered residents are returning to their communities after years away, having built lives elsewhere: a Kyodo News survey showed that only 1% of former residents in the reopened parts of the three municipalities had moved back as of February.
Nobuko Yamazaki, a 77-year-old living in public housing in Futaba, said she "can't keep up" with how quickly the city has changed in the past 12 years. "All we can do is wait for the residents to return," she said.
Three other towns in Fukushima will be the next to see some evacuation orders lifted this spring.
12 Years After Japan's Triple DisasterーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDKiR_YNB6I&t=258s
NHK World's special coverage of the 12th anniversary of Japan's triple disaster ー earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident ー with stories of people still struggling to rebuild their lives.
CONFERENCE: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 10 YEARS AFTER 3.11
https://jdzb.de/ja/events/70756
Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598
BBC News - Japan hit by tsunami after the massive earthquake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odMF4YhfZCc
Japan marks 12 years since the quake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima crisis
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/11/national/march-11-disasters-12th-anniversary/