A moment of silence was observed across Japan at 2:46 p.m. local time (12:46 a.m. ET) to mark the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said, "I feel the grieving families' pain and I cannot express my sorrow enough... Our forebears who built this country's prosperity have emerged from each crisis even stronger. We will fulfill our historic mission of realizing the rebirth of this nation."
The devastation from the disaster wiped out the northern coastline, destroyed villages and businesses, and put one of its nuclear reactors, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, on the brink. Japan's auto industry has been rebounding, but the recovery is still uncertain and will take much longer. One man who lost his wife and mother in Ofunato, where 460 were missing, told Reuters, "We can't just stay sad. Our mission is to face reality and move forward step by step. But the damage the town suffered was too big and our psychological scars are too deep. We need a long time to rebuild."
As for the Fukushima Daiichi plant, 3,000 workers are there daily to decontaminate the facility. According to the Daily News, "It’s lethal work, and they are paid less than $100 a day to do it. Plant worker Noriyuki Kitajima says the wages are low but his sense of mission is rich." Kitajima said, "If I did not work there, the radiological disaster might affect the whole world. I’m doing this to help humanity.” But the workers are looked down upon, because of ill will towards Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's owner. A psychiatrist treating the workers, "One time, somebody donated fresh vegetables for the workers. But the donation was made anonymously, because those who gave it didn’t want to be caught helping TEPCO workers."
