Fukushima's disaster anniversary: silence and somber in Japan

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi plant, 220 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo. The natural disasters and meltdowns at the Fukushima plant forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes.

People place candles as they pay their respect to victims in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture.

Police officers take part in a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. (0546 GMT), the time when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, to mark the nine-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2020.

Japan marked the somber nine-year anniversary as official commemorations and vigils were canceled because of fears over the spread of the coronavirus.

Thousands of people were killed in the Fukushima disaster, nine years ago, on this day.

In Tokyo, more than a hundred people gathered in a city park to lay flowers. "I think the memory (of the disaster) is fading away," said Masahiko Sano, a 47-year old company owner, who joined the event at the park.

Despite the many signs of recovery in Japan's northeast, some residents are still unable to live in the areas closest to the Fukushima plant. Radiation levels in such areas remain high despite repeated decontamination efforts.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other government officials attended a small memorial ceremony and observed a moment of silence on Wednesday, sitting in chairs spaced a few feet apart.

In his speech, Abe lauded the reconstruction of Japan's disaster-struck region and said he hoped the Tokyo Olympics would be a chance for the country to showcase its recovery efforts.

People were seen wearing protective face masks, following an outbreak of the coronavirus. They attended a memorial service preceding a moment of silence at Hibiya Park in Tokyo.