March 11th marks the 14th anniversary of the 2011 Japan 3/11 earthquake (also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake). In the early morning, residents of the affected areas began various commemorative activities. At 2:46 pm, the exact moment when the earthquake struck, people across the country observed a minute of silence on the streets to pray for the victims.
According to Japanese media reports, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a massive tsunami that caused devastating damage to Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and other areas in northeastern Japan. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant also suffered a nuclear leakage accident, with three reactor cores experiencing meltdown, leading to the release of a large amount of radioactive material.
Official Japanese statistics show that this natural disaster has claimed the lives of 22,228 people or left them missing. Additionally, due to restricted access to some areas near the damaged nuclear power plant, over 27,000 Fukushima residents are still unable to return home and are forced to live in temporary shelters.
It is worth mentioning that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also attended a memorial ceremony held in Fukushima on the 11th, expressing deep condolences to the victims and vowing to make Japan the most disaster-resilient country in the world.