March 11 marks the 15th anniversary of Japan’s 3/11 Great Earthquake. According to statistics from Japan’s Reconstruction Agency, as of February 1 this year, there are still 26,281 people nationwide living as evacuees in Japan. In addition, seven areas in Fukushima Prefecture remain under evacuation orders, with many local residents having given up on returning home. As of the end of last year, disaster-related deaths (deaths caused by poor health conditions during evacuation) from the 3/11 earthquake have risen to 3,810.
Local governments in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures held remembrance ceremonies on Wednesday, and at 2:46 p.m.—the exact time of the earthquake—observed a moment of silence. Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara recently announced that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will attend the memorial ceremony hosted by the Fukushima Prefectural Government in Fukushima City on that day.
Following the 3/11 earthquake, Japan established the Basic Policy “2nd Phase of Reconstruction and Revitalization,” which will conclude at the end of this month. The upcoming fiscal year starting April 1 will see the start of the 5-year “3rd Phase of Reconstruction and Revitalization.” During this period, efforts will focus on determining the final disposal sites for “decontaminated soil” from Fukushima, as well as encouraging the return of evacuees to their hometowns.
At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the offshore Sanriku area of Japan, measuring a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Miyagi Prefecture. The tsunami that followed severely affected the Tohoku and Kanto coastal regions, leading to the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.
According to the Japanese National Police Agency, since police in Miyagi Prefecture identified the remains of missing girl Natsuse Yamane swept away by the tsunami last October, as of March 9, 2026, the death toll has increased by one from last year, with a total of 15,901 deaths and 2,519 people still missing. Additionally, there are 53 unidentified bodies in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures.