Event Held to Mark 5,000th Day Since 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake; Locals, Families who Lost Loved Ones Gathered

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, November 17, 2024

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi — Locals and families who lost their loved ones remembered the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake at a candlelight event in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday on the eve of the 5,000th day since the disaster.

A total of 1,000 candles and LED lights were lit in Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park in the city.

The event was organized by Kenichi Kurosawa, 53, and others with the aim of passing on the memory of the tsunami to the next generation. Kurosawa is known for having made and set up a sign with the “Ganbaro! Ishinomaki” message to encourage affected people in the aftermath of the disaster, which left 3,970 people dead or missing. He has led memorial events at milestones such as the 1,000th-day anniversary.

As some people were said to have survived by using open-air fires immediately after the disaster, participants in Saturday’s event also gathered around open-air fires and shared their experiences of the time.

“I sometimes suddenly flash back to the events and scenery of that time. It’s so painful, but I’ll never forget,” said Katsuko Takahashi, 81, of Ishinomaki who lost her younger sister and brother-in-law in the neighboring town of Onagawa.