Progress has been slow, frustratingly so for many people, but little by little Japan is recovering from the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck the island nation in 2011. March 11, 2013 marks the two year anniversary of this catastrophic natural disaster that left almost 19,000 people dead or missing, displaced more than 300,000 and caused a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. There is also tremendous psychological damage that the country has struggled to cope with. The nonprofit group Ashinaga, which provides educational and psychological support for orphans worldwide, has distributed 2 million yen each to 2,100 people from toddlers to graduate students who were orphaned or whose parents became disabled as a result of the disaster. The organization plans to open a so-called Rainbow House to provide day-to-day and long-term psychological support in the affected areas one year from now.
“I am always deeply moved by seeing how so many people lead their daily lives without complaining,” Japanese Emperor Akihito said. “[I hope] to be able to share their suffering, if only a little.”
The nation observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. local time in remembrance of those who were lost and those who continue to suffer the ramifications
“I pray that the peaceful lives of those affected can resume as soon as possible,” Emperor Akihito said at a memorial service at Tokyo’s National Theater.
“Japan will never experience a true spring if spring does not come to north-eastern Japan. I promise never to forget the weight of each day and promise to speed up the reconstruction of the region,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. “I will make Japan a country resilient to disasters while standing on the side of people who were affected.”
The official body count for the disaster is 15,881, but at the same time 2,668 others remain unaccounted for.
“We haven’t found any bodies for a year,” police officer Toshiaki Okajima said. “But there are still 1,300 missing people in Miyagi alone and the feelings of families haven’t changed. That’s why the police need to keep looking for remains.”
Nuclear power continues to be a contentious issue in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. Of the 50 nuclear reactors that were turned off after the earthquake, only two have been turned back on. On Sunday, thousands of people marched in Tokyo calling for an end to the use of nuclear power.
