Japan on Tuesday, March 11, marks the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.
A woman lights candles to pay tribute to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami at a make-shift alter in a park in Tokyo, March 2013.
Japanese rescuers search for bodies in the debris in front of a grounded ship near the port area, after the tsunami in March 2011.
1st prize People in the News Stories category of the 2012 World Press Photo Contest by Yasuyoshi Chiba, Japan, Agence France-Presse shows the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, April 3, 2011. Chieko Matsukawa shows her daughter's graduation
Search and rescue teams, till date find human remains.
Among almost 270,000 evacuees from the tsunami and Fukushima, about 100,000 are in temporary housing while others found shelter in new cities or with relatives.
Despite the government pledging billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, progress in disaster-hit regions has been slow, and thousands of disaster refugees struggle to cope.
The crippled plant remains volatile and experts say the complicated decommissioning process will take decades, as fears persist over the long-term health effects of leaked radiation. The accident forced tens of thousands to flee from areas around
Visitors watch the sun rise at breakwater in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan, March 11, 2014. Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and sabotaged vast areas of Japan'
Waves also crashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant, sparking reactor meltdowns and explosions, and setting off the worst atomic crisis in a generation.
Residents within a 12-mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated, but the World Health Organization has said the area’s affected residents face a small, almost undetectable increased cancer risk as a result of radiation
Nature's raw force unleashed a towering tsunami that traveled at the speed of a jet plane to the coast.
The quake, according to records, the fourth largest since 1900—resulted in the death of 15,881 people, with 2,668 more missing and 6,142 injured, according to police estimates.
Local governments will switch on a tsunami alarm siren at 2:46 pm (0546 GMT), marking the exact moment a 9.0-magnitude undersea quake hit.
Remembrance ceremonies will be held in towns and cities around the disaster zone and in the capital Tokyo, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are to lead tributes to those who lost their lives in Japan's worst peace-time disaster.
Three years ago, a 9.03-magnitude earthquake and its ensuing tsunami devastated Japan and caused nuclear meltdowns at three reactors in the northeastern coastal city of Fukushima.