Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Tokyo on Thursday remembered the Great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 10 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.

Over 100 people gathered in front of the Wako department store in Ginza district central Tokyo, observing a moment of silence in front of the store’s famous clock at 2:46 P.M., which was the moment the earthquake struck a decade ago.

At that exact time, the clock’s two hands stopped to mark the hour and minute of the earthquake, while a bell rang and the crowd bowed their heads in a show of respect towards the 18,000 people who lost their lives during the disaster.

A 16-year-old high school student from the Miyagi area that was badly affected by the tsunami joined others in showing their respect for the dead and missing. Passers-by folded their hands in prayer.

The Tohoku district is still recovering from the earthquake and its consequences with the area around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant still largely a no-go zone.