One year on, UN pays tribute to resilience of Japanese quake survivors | Philippine Times

One year on, UN pays tribute to resilience of Japanese quake survivors

U.N. - Environment, Shelter Monday 5th March, 2012

A commemoration of the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year was held today at United Nations Headquarters, with senior officials paying tribute to the resilience of the survivors of the disaster and the efforts of the world body to help them.

The Great East Japan Earthquake, as it is known, and the ensuing tsunami, killed more than 15,000 people and destroyed cities and villages along the coast of the country's Tohoku region. The 11 March disaster also caused major damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

One year later, some 3,305 people are still listed as missing, and more than 340,000 others evacuated from the disaster zone have not been able to return.

"The world remembers. We know many people are still not back home. We realize the economic damage is enormous. And we understand that many wounds will never fully heal," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the concert, which was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Japan and the Japan Foundation.

"These are the sad truths. But there are many hopeful signs," he stated. "After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japanese people stood up and so did the international community.

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