On 11 March 2024 Japan marked the 13th anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear meltdown and left large parts of Fukushima Prefecture uninhabitable. Amid observance of a minute of silence and memorial events, officials pledged continued support for rebuilding. It was on this day at 2.46 PM that the 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami ravaged parts of Japan’s north-eastern coast killing about 20,000 people while driving thousands from their homes in the Prefecture of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima. Whole towns were wiped out. The time ~ 2.46 PM ~ when the earthquake struck has become a solemn moment every year since then.

People across Japan stop to observe a minute of silence. In Tokyo’s central Ginza shopping district, people stopped to pray on the sidewalk as a bell rang out, marking the moment. The tsunami, topped 15 meters (50 feet) in some areas, slammed into the nuclear plant, destroying its power supply and fuel cooling systems, causing meltdowns at reactors No.1, 2 and 3. Units 1 and 2 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, were heavily damaged, creating deep fears of radiation that linger till today. Hydrogen explosions caused massive radiation leaks and contamination in the area. After this meltdown of the nuclear reactors, the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant remained shut with restrictions to public entry.

After considerable corrective measures and obtaining the clearance of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from 24 August 2023. This has caused considerable controversy as China and South Korea expressed concerns over it. Japan’s decision hit business relations with China as Beijing banned the import of fish from Japan suspected to be contaminated with radioactive materials and thus unfit for human consumption. Amid the controversy postmeltdown, TEPCO said the tsunami could not have been anticipated. Government and independent investigations as well as court decisions subsequently revealed that the accident was the result of human error, safety negligence, lax oversight by regulators and collusion.

As an immediate response, Japan introduced stricter safety standards and announced it would phase out nuclear power as a source of energy completely and strengthen other supply sources to meet the country’s energy needs. That proved to be a difficult policy and had to be reviewed. The Kishida government therefore decided to reverse that policy and accelerated restarts of workable reactors to maintain nuclear power as a main source of Japan’s power supply. Japan is an earthquake prone country and despite several preventive measures that were adopted, it was again hit by another deadly earthquake on 1 January 2024 in its north-central region of Noto. It destroyed many homes and roads but did not damage an idle nuclear power plant. Yet, it caused considerable fears of radiation leaks, though evacuation remained an immediate priority.

The Noto quake triggered renewed calls for a review of evacuation plans nationwide, including around nuclear plants. Though more than 160,000 residents were evacuated across Fukushima, many have not yet returned home and are unlikely to do so ever. Then Japan focused on holding the Olympics. The decontamination work continued, but seven of 12 towns still remained off-limits. Majority of those evacuated have no intention of returning home, citing lack of jobs, schools and lost communities, as well as radiation concerns. It is a different matter that residents who raised radiation worries or linked to their health problems have come under attack for hurting Fukushima’s reputation. But their fears are real. Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori is upbeat that a growing number of young people want to return to Fukushima to open businesses or help in the reconstruction and thus is hopeful that eventually more residents will return.

When Fukushima Daiichi started discharging treated water into the sea on 24 August 2023, releasing a fourth of a 7,800-ton batch of treated water that met safety standards, it faced protests from local fishermen and neighbouring countries, especially China. China soon banned Japanese seafood imports. Since the March 2011 meltdowns, Fukushima Daiichi struggled to handle the contaminated water. When therefore TEPCO got the IAEA clearance in compliance with international safety standards, the start of the release process was a milestone. Further, removing the tanks was crucial to make space for facilities needed as decommissioning progressed. What TEPCO did was to pump up the contaminated cooling water, treated and stored in about 1,000 tanks.

The water was diluted with massive seawater to reduce tritium levels to about one-seventh of the World Health Organisation’s guidance level for drinking water before release, making it safer than international standards. What was the impact of China’s ban on fish imports from Japan? China’s ban on Japanese seafood that mostly hit scallop exporters in Hokkaido prompted Japanese consumers to eat more Fukushima seafood. Sampling and monitoring by the IAEA further boosted confidence in local fish. After initial suspension in fishing operations during the postFukushima years, normal fishing operations resumed in 2021. The local catch is now about one-fifth of its pre-disaster level because of a decline in the fishing population and smaller catch sizes. The government earmarked 10 billion yen ($680 million) to support Fukushima fisheries.

Japanese officials have vowed to keep rebuilding. Uniformed police officers are often seen sifting through gravel and sand on the beach in an annual search for the remains of people who are still missing. Others release balloons carrying messages of grief. The disaster prevention centre in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture where dozens died has become the place for annual mourning. In Ishinomaki City in Iwate prefecture, residents gather in a hilltop park where many of them took shelter 13 years ago, mourning as they stood facing the sea.

In Rikuzentakata, hundreds of people pray atop a massive concrete seawall. Amid these, Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori has vowed to rebuild and clean up the nuclear site, and accomplish recovery at any cost. Yet, work to remove highly radioactive melted fuel debris has still not begun at the plant, and the overall decommissioning project is expected to last decades. For TEPCO, removal of fuel debris from the reactors is the biggest challenge and the operation has been delayed several times. TEPCO seeks to completely decommission the site by 2051. But multiple setbacks have thrown that timeline into question.

(The author is former Senior Fellow at Pradhanmantri Memorial Museum and Library (PMML), New Delhi. Earlier he was ICCR Chair Professor at Reitaku University, Japan, and Senior Fellow at the MP-IDSA, New Delhi)