Tokyo, March 11 Japan on Tuesday marks the 14th anniversary since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the nation in 2011, triggering a nuclear accident that continues to affect the region.
Attending a memorial service hosted by Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled Daiichi nuclear power complex is located, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offered his condolences and pledged to make Japan a world leader in disaster prevention, local media reported.
"We will leverage our experience from the disaster to implement thorough disaster preparedness and strengthen our response system," Ishiba said.
When the triple disasters struck 14 years ago, scores of people were forced from their homes. The disaster-prone nation has since taken steps to be better prepared for natural calamities, including the handling of evacuations and rebuilding the affected areas, Kyodo News reported.
On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered an earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented proportions. The Great East Japan Earthquake was measured at a magnitude 9.0, the largest ever recorded in Japan's history.
The earthquake and the resulting tsunami struck the Pacific coast of the Tohoku and Kanto regions with such devastating force that it dramatically changed the face of the seaside landscape.
During that year, the number of dead and missing as a result of the earthquake was reported to be approximately 20,000 people, with over 350,000 homes and other buildings completely or partially destroyed.
In addition, damage from the earthquake and tsunami at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station led to a serious nuclear accident, forcing many of the residents of surrounding areas into long-term evacuation, according to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, Prime Minister Ishiba jointly held the 42nd meeting of the Reconstruction Promotion Council and the 65th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister's Office. At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the current situation of reconstruction from the nuclear disaster and other matters.
Following the discussion, the Prime Minister's Office stated, "As it has been almost 14 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, our Cabinet regards the reconstruction of Tohoku as well as that of Fukushima from the nuclear disaster as one of our highest-priority issues."
"At the end of last year, I visited a Difficult-to-Return Zone in Futaba Town and saw the scars of the quake disaster and nuclear accident with my own eyes. Upon seeing overgrown vegetation and deserted houses, I once again extended my thoughts to the earnest wishes harboured by residents to return to their homes, who are still forced to evacuate," the statement further read.
"Without the reconstruction of Fukushima, there will be no reconstruction of Tohoku. And without the reconstruction of Tohoku, there will be no revival of Japan. We must never let this disaster fade away and be forgotten. With the determination that all ministers are ministers for reconstruction, I request that you further speed up reconstruction efforts," it added.
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