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In pictures: Japan’s tsunami two years later

Residents say rebuilding efforts after twin disasters of tsunami and nuclear meltdown have yet to begin in earnest.

The Japanese coastal town of Otsuchi, just days after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Published On 11 Mar 2013
A spring continues to gurgle in Otsuchi. Long known for its fresh spring water, there are places among the rubble where those springs are still alive and running.
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Otsuchi, two years later.
Many businesses have had to close in areas where radioactivity remains, such as in this virtually abandoned town in Fukushima.
Along Japan(***)s northeast coast, you can still find items that once belonged to families, but were tossed around by the tsunami and remain unclaimed.
Mikio Watanabe(***)s wife set herself on fire outside their home in July of 2011. Watanabe has sued TEPCO, Fukushima(***)s nuclear power plant operator, for causing her to fall into depression. The couple was forced to abandon their home and all possessions due to radioactive fallout.
Fourteen-year-old Koyuki Iwama plays a flute near where her grandfather used to live. He gave her the flute as a gift, but never had a chance to hear her play, as the tsunami claimed his life.
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Building and restoring many of the communities along Japan(***)s northeast coast has yet to begin in earnest.