Japan Remembers 3.11
People in Japan will take a moment to pause and remember the lives lost 9 years after a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident struck the country's northeast. Lives were changed forever -- and many are still coping with the aftermath.
On March 11, 2011 a magnitude-9 earthquake struck -- generating a tsunami more than ten meters tall.
Nearly 16,000 people died and over 2,500 others remain missing.
Japan's government says more than 3,700 others have died in the years that followed, due to health problems or other complications related to the disaster.
3.11 is synonymous with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The plant suffered a triple meltdown in what's considered the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
Tens of thousands were forced from their homes.
Almost a decade later, several municipalities remain blocked off. Authorities say there are still nearly 48,000 evacuees.
The recovery effort is still far from over.
One of the biggest challenges is how to remove the radioactive debris from inside the reactors, where radiation levels are still extremely high.
Another challenge is what to do with the more than one-million tons of contaminated water stored at the plant.
The water is used to cool the damaged reactors. And the government hasn't decided how to dispose of it.
This year's anniversary has taken on a different feel because of the coronavirus.
The government called off the annual memorial ceremony for victims in an effort to help curb the spread.
The prime minister and his Cabinet members will instead observe a moment of silence at the exact time the quake struck -- 2:46 p.m. Japan time.
