Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima Mark 14th Anniversary of 2011 Disaster

Fukushima, March 11 (Jiji Press)--Ceremonies were held Tuesday to mark the 14th anniversary of the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami at the three hardest-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima in northeastern Japan.

Participants observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the exact time when the 9.0-magnitude temblor struck off the Pacific coast of the region March 11, 2011, which triggered the gigantic tsunami and then the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Around 370 people, including Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, attended a ceremony hosted by the Fukushima prefectural government in the prefecture's namesake capital. He laid flowers.

"New moves toward rebuilding our beloved hometown are spreading," Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori said.

"Although we still have a long and difficult road ahead, we'll never give up," he said. "We'll be up for the challenge and will achieve reconstruction."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]