9 Years Since the Great East Japan Earthquake... Abe: "We Will Show Revival Through the Olympics"

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Photo by Reuters)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] On the 9th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake on the 11th, the Japanese government held a wreath-laying ceremony attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and cabinet members.

According to NHK and others, at 2:46 p.m., the exact time the earthquake occurred, citizens across various regions observed a moment of silence. The Great East Japan Earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, with a magnitude of 9.0 off the southeast coast of the Oshika Peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture.

The wreath-laying ceremony on this day proceeded with Prime Minister Abe reading a memorial address followed by the laying of wreaths. This year, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the event was held on a small scale within the Prime Minister's residence.

In his memorial address, Prime Minister Abe stated, "Thinking of the feelings of those who lost family, relatives, and friends, I still feel sorrow," and expressed his intention to continue promoting reconstruction projects in the affected areas.

He also said he wants to show the world the recovering affected areas through the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics scheduled for July to September this year.

Meanwhile, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which leaked radioactive materials due to an explosion accident during the Great East Japan Earthquake, is currently undergoing decommissioning work. However, issues such as the treatment of radioactive contaminated water remain unresolved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.