Japan Marks 15th Anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake

Across Japan, memorial ceremonies took place Wednesday to honour the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

At 2:46 p.m., the exact moment the quake struck, people paused for a nationwide moment of silence.

The powerful earthquake struck the Tohoku region in March 2011 and remains the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was among those attending a remembrance ceremony in Fukushima prefecture, where people gathered to pay tribute to everyone who lost their lives in the disaster.

Takaichi said the powerful earthquake, the tsunami that followed, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster together took many lives.

She noted that the experiences and sacrifices from that time must continue to be remembered and shared with future generations.

She also said the government is speeding up efforts to strengthen preparations for major natural disasters.

She added that the government is also planning to set up a central command center to oversee all disaster-related work; this would include everything from preparedness and prevention to recovery and rebuilding.

As of March 2026, more than 2,500 people are still missing across six prefectures; authorities and families continue searching for answers.

Miyagi Prefecture has the largest number of missing individuals, with more than 1,200 people still unaccounted for. Iwate Prefecture is second, with 1,106 people missing.

Last October, human remains were found in Minamisanriku, a town located in Miyagi Prefecture. Officials later confirmed they belonged to a six-year-old girl from Iwate Prefecture.

At least 53 sets of remains discovered so far have not yet been identified.

The disaster claimed 15,901 lives across 12 prefectures. Miyagi Prefecture experienced the largest loss of life, with 9,545 people killed.

More than 3,800 additional deaths have also been linked to indirect effects of the disaster.

As of February 1, over 26,000 people are still officially listed as evacuees because they cannot return to their homes; many of them are from Fukushima Prefecture.

Following the nuclear accident, evacuation orders remain in place in seven municipalities across the prefecture.

Recovery in communities affected by the 2011 disaster is still ongoing, though several challenges remain, including a rapidly shrinking population.

Some areas, like the city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, have faced repeated hardships in the years since 2011.