Tokyo: Naoto Kan, Japanese prime minister, has thanked people around the world for their response to the earthquake and tsunami of exactly a month ago. Signed newspaper advertisements said the support had brought hope and inspired courage at a desperate time.
Ceremonies and a one-minute silence were held to mark the moment of the unprecedented disaster, triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake.
It is estimated to have killed 28,000 people and left 150,000 homeless.
Some villages on the north-east coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu were largely destroyed.
The disaster also severely damaged a nuclear plant, which is still causing severe problems for the authorities.
“We offer our deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
“We are sorry for causing inconvenience and difficulties to those who still live in shelters.”
The earthquake struck at 1446 local time on March 11.
Touring areas wrecked by the disaster on Sunday, Kan promised to do everything possible to help communities.
“The government will give all its strength to work with you. We will never abandon you,” he told survivors in the city of Ishinomaki.
The prime minister also tried to reassure survivors that the fishing industry – which many in the area rely on for their livelihoods – would resume as soon as possible.
The tsunami wrecked boats and piers, closing down large-scale fishing operations.
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