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The Fukushima legacy

March 10, 2013

Two years ago, Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. The disaster shocked the world and brought Japan, one of the world's most advanced nations, to its knees. The recovery continues.

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GettyImages 110050961 The Takekoma area lies devastated near the town of Rikuzentakata, some five kms from the coast, in Iwate prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the region. Economists say it is still too early to assess the cost of the destruction from the record 8.9-magnitude quake and the 10-metre wall of water that laid waste to swathes of the northeastern coast and triggered an atomic emergency. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: AFP/Getty Images

In Japan's worst national crisis since the Second World War, the island nation known for its awe-inspring technological achievments was put at the mercy of nature. A 9.3-magnitude undersea earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that left 15,880 dead, 2,694 missing and 6,135 injured.

The tsunami also caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the entire world to re-evaulate the safety of atomic power. Two years later, Japan and the world are sill coping with the legacy of this historic catastrophe. 

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