One year on, a look at Japan’s progress

March 11, 2012 marks one year since a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami that slammed into the island nation, killing thousands of people. More than 300,000 people are still homeless and around 3,300 others are unaccounted for. The tsunami also sparked a nuclear reactor meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, resulting in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. One year on, the streets have been cleared and the wreckage removed from town centres. Here’s a look at how much has changed in 12 months.

This combo shows an image (top) taken by a Miyako City official on March 11, 2011 of the tsunami breeching an embankment and flowing into the city of Miyako in Iwate prefecture and the same area (bottom image) on January 16, 2012 nearly one year after the March 11 tsunami devastated the area. March 11, 2012 will mark the first anniversary of the massive tsunami that pummelled Japan, claiming more than 19,000 lives. AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (top image) AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA (bottom)

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