On the 11th, commemorating the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear power plant explosion, which caused enormous human and material damage in March 2011, memorial events were held all over Japan to honor the victims.
According to NHK and Nikkei Shimbun, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended a memorial service held in Fukushima Prefecture on the same day and announced a policy to prioritize support for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the return of residents in order to recover from a radioactive disaster.
At a memorial service hosted by Fukushima Prefecture, Prime Minister Kishida paid tribute to the victims at 2:46 p.m., the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In a memorial address, Prime Minister Kishida continued, “The massive earthquake, tsunami, and TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident took away the daily lives of many Fukushima residents.” I still feel sorry for him,” he comforted.
At the same time, Prime Minister Kishida said, “In order to rebuild from a nuclear disaster, a mid- to long-term response is necessary.” I will do my best to support them so that they can resume their livelihood.”
Masao Uchibori, Governor of Fukushima Prefecture, said, “Fukushima, which was marked as a ‘land of disaster’ and a ‘site of a nuclear power plant accident’, is a ‘land of hope’ where anyone can have hope, and a ‘land of revival’ that is overflowing with smiles that anyone can be proud of. We will do everything in our power to turn it into a ‘land’ to realize reconstruction without fail.”
The representative of the bereaved family requested that it is important to always live with a disaster prevention awareness, saying, “We must keep the lessons learned from the earthquake and never forget them.”
The death toll from the Great East Japan Earthquake reached 15,900 and the number of people missing reached 2,523. A total of 3,792 people died as their illness worsened at the evacuation facility. Here, 30,884 people have left their homes since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident and are unable to return.
Source: Donga
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