Japan observed a moment of silence on Tuesday to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked the nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.
Survivors bowed deeply at remembrance ceremonies in towns and cities around the disaster zone and in Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko led tributes to those who died in Japan’s worst peace-time disaster.
A national moment of silence followed the cry of tsunami alarm sirens which were set off at 2:46 pm, the moment a 9.0-magnitude undersea quake hit. It’s raw force unleashed a towering wall of water that travelled at the speed of a jet plane to the coast.