Japan marked five months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on Thursday, as many people commemorated those who perished in the disaster, according to dpa. In devastated towns and villages in north-eastern Japan, residents took time to observe the date with bowed heads and clasped hands. Nearly 15,700 people have been confirmed dead while police have continued to search more than 4,700 others who are still missing. A total of 87,063 evacuees were still scattered across the country's 47 prefectures as of July 28, the government said. Of these, 12,903 were still in makeshift emergency shelters such as schools and community centres. As locals and governments put more effort into reconstruction, many such shelters have closed and moved their evacuees into temporary compounds. "I am reminded strongly once again today that we must work hard toward reconstruction," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in the morning. The quake was followed by a tsunami within minutes, and the twin disasters triggered the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the world's worst atomic accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. The plant was damaged by explosions and fires when its cooling system failed, and has been leaking radioactive substances into the environment ever since. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave the area. The government and operator Tokyo Electric Power Co have been struggling to bring the plant under control.
