Japan Holds Memorial Events to Mark 15th Anniversary of 2011 Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:17 JST, March 11, 2026

Memorial events were held at various locations across the nation on Wednesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was among participants at a memorial ceremony held by Fukushima Prefecture at a community facility in Fukushima City. Attendees prayed silently at 2:46 p.m., the time the earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011.

In her memorial address, Takaichi emphasized that the national government will take the lead in efforts to recover from the nuclear disaster, including by advancing the safe and steady decommissioning of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 plant and by improving living conditions to enable the return of residents that wish to return to the area.

Referring to the government-set Third Reconstruction/Revitalization Period that begins in April, Takaichi said, “With a strong determination to resolve various challenges over the next five years, we will devote our full efforts to the reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas.”

Takaichi also said that the national government will accelerate efforts to establish a disaster management agency this year, which will advance preparations for large-scale natural disasters that pose an urgent threat, and that will serve as a command center to respond to disasters in a consistent manner to make Japan more resilient to disasters.