Post date: Mar 11, 2012 10:8:54 AM
TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 11, 2012) (TV TOKYO) - With a moment of silence and prayers Japan marked on Sunday (March 11) one year since an earthquake and tsunami killed thousands and set off a radiation crisis that shattered public trust in atomic power and the nation's leaders.
Japan's Prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda and Emperor Akihito remember the victims of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that struck the country one year ago, at a memorial in Tokyo.
A year after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan's northeast coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for, the country is still grappling with the human, economic and political costs.
The nation observed a minute of silence at 2:46 p.m. (0546 GMT), the moment the quake struck, at a national memorial attended by the Japanese Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
"A year has passed since the Great East Japan Disaster but it is still unbearable to think of the pain of the survivors and the despair of families whose loved ones have passed away," Noda said in a memorial broadcast live throughout the nation.
"Our forebears who built this country's prosperity have emerged from each crisis even stronger. We will fulfill our historic mission of realising the rebirth of this nation through reconstruction while holding hands with people in the disaster-affected regions and being close to them," he added.
In a rare mention of the nuclear crisis, the Emperor thanked those who fought to bring the damaged reactors under control.
"I would like to take this opportunity to deeply thank the people who helped the victims and those in the disaster zones, and those who helped deal with the nuclear crisis," he said at the altar, with the Empress Michiko at his side.
"It is important that we do not forget the memories of this big earthquake and pass them onto our descendants, so that readiness for natural disasters is fostered and we can make progress towards building a safer country," he added.
Despite the calls for unity and solidarity since the crisis, people are increasingly disillusioned about the political establishment's ability to tell the truth and rise to the occasion, a deep lack of trust that one commentator called "the fourth disaster of March 11."
Politicians and bureaucrats drew fire for the chaotic response to the Fukushima disaster and their failure to seize the moment and tackle a myriad of ills that have dogged Japan for over two decades.