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Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

Namie Sousei Elementary School students 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 10th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A woman reacts as she places flowers in front of a monument for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, during its 10th anniversary, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

People standing near candles watch as fireworks light up the sky to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Paper lanterns are lit for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the10th anniversary of the disaster. REUTERS/Issei Kato TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Participants pray and observe a moment of silence towards the sea at 2:46 p.m. (05:46 GMT), the time when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, at Arahama district in Sendai, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the 10-year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN.

Paper lanterns are released into the night sky to mourn victims of March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Hirono, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11 2021, to mark the 10-year anniversary of the disaster that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN.

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow in front of the altar for victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami at the national memorial service on day marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, in Tokyo, Japan March 11, 2021. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via REUTERS

Ryo Kimura, who lost his family members, tosses his daughter, Reni Kimura, in front of a devastated area that was hit by the 2011 tsunami, during its 10th anniversary, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

People observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. (0546 GMT), the time when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, during a memorial service at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the ten-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. REUTERS/Issei Kato

A person prays on the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, at a graveyard in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

People pray in front of a monument for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, during its 10th anniversary, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Attendees place flowers in front of the altar for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami during the national memorial service on day marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, in Tokyo, Japan March 11, 2021. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via REUTERS

Children walk among the candles during the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A child walks among the candles during the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A woman who lost her husband and grandchild in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, prays in front of the grave in Miyako, Iwate prefecture, Japan, March 11 2021, to mark the 10-year anniversary of the disaster that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN.

Participants, including singer Tokiko Kato, observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. (0546 GMT), the time when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, during a memorial service at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the ten-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Mariko Odawara places flowers to mourn the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, during its 10th anniversary, in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Fireworks light up the sky to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A man prays in front of a monument for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, during its 10th anniversary, in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan March 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Paper lanterns are lit for the victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that killed thousands and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the10th anniversary of the disaster. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Participants, wearing face masks and social distancing due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. (0546 GMT), the time when the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's coast in 2011, during a memorial service at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2021, to mark the ten-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Updated 11 March 2021 23:46

March 11, 2021 23:29

With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear protests, Japan mourns about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck 10 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.