TOKYO, 11 MAR – Japan is commemorating the twelfth anniversary of the triple catastrophe of Fukushima, which occurred off the coast on the north-eastern side of the country. The chain of events: the magnitude 9 earthquake, the tsunami that followed, and the subsequent dispersion of radiation from the nuclear power plant caused the death of nearly 16,000 people, and forced 31,000 former residents to be unable to return to their homes . As in 2022, the central government will not organize a nationwide memorial, but will leave the planning of events for the annual anniversary to individual municipalities. According to official data from the Police Agency, as of today 2,523 people are still missing, mainly in the prefectures of Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi, while deaths related to mental disorders and stress developed as a result of the disaster, according to the Agency for Reconstruction, totaled 3,792. The decommissioning of the three nuclear reactors by the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) – which includes the removal of debris produced by the spent fuel – is proceeding with considerable delays, and according to the latest forecasts the whole operation will be completed between 2041 and 2051. Controversy continues over the plan for discharging the contaminated water needed to cool the reactors into the sea. (HANDLE).
(ANSA)
