After Fukushima: faces from Japan's tsunami tragedy, five years on
On the anniversary of the 2011 disaster that killed 19,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more, life and hope continue a steady resurgence, writesJustin McCurry
On 11 March 2011 a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the north-east coast of Japan and triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Almost 19,000 people died in the tsunami, while 160,000 people fled radiation in Fukushima. Five years on more than 174,000 survivors remain displaced, including almost 100,000 people from Fukushima who have yet to return to their homes.
But there are signs, too, that for some people life is returning to a semblance of normality.
To mark the anniversary of Japan’s worst disaster since the war, the Guardian met six people whose courage and determination has inspired other people across the disaster-hit region. From the mayor of a radiation-hit city who refused to leave, to a traumatised fisherman who now looks after his elderly neighbours – ordinary people who, in a few terrifying minutes, saw their lives transformed by catastrophe.
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