day of remembrance. people in japan marked the second anniversary of the disaster that destroyed coastal communities and disabled a nuclear plant. welcome to nhk world "newsline." two years ago an unprecedented emergency was unfolding in northeastern japan. towns and cities lay in ruin. residents were searching for lost loved ones, and crews were scrambling to control a nuclear plant few people in the world had ever heard of. in the days, weeks and months since the march 11th, 2011, earthquake and tsunami,

survivors have been moving forward on a path to recovery. we're spending much of the day looking at how far they've come and the challenges that still lie ahead. two years ago a magnitude 9 earthquake shook homes, offices, and neighborhoods. the quake triggered another danger offshore. tsunami waves more than ten meters high slammed into the coast and brought down buildings all along it. the disasters triggered another inside fukushima daiichi. eventually reactors at the nuclear plant melted down. in all, government officials say 20,851 people were either killed or listed as missing. that number includes those who died during or after the evacuation. government figures show that as of last month, about 315,000 people were still living in temporary housing with relatives or in other impermanent situations.

authorities plan to build more than 23,000 public housing units for those who cannot rebuild their homes. but as of last month, workers had only completed 84. crews working on decontaminating cities and towns have faced delays too. they've only managed to clean up 20% of the nearly 180,000 units. the japanese government has held a national memorial ceremony in tokyo. the emperor, the prime minister and families of the victims were at the national theater to mourn those who died. participants observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the time the earthquake struck. representatives of families from the three hardest-hit

prefectures said even after two years, they still struggle. >> translator: it's difficult to see a way forward. we're overwhelmed with so many problems such as building housing, the restoration of farmland, rebuilding local communities, and concerns about radioactivity. >> prime minister shinzo abe expressed his determination to rebuild the northeast. >> translator: meeting the needs of affected people in the areas through accelerated reconstruction is the only way to meet the expectations of the souls who are now in heaven. >> emperor akihito directed some of his remarks to survivors.

>> survivors offer their prayers and other tributes to those they lost. people in the northeast stopped at the same time. they shared in the moment of silence. prime shinzo abe has pledged to draw up a reconstruction road map that will enable many of those who suffered from the disasters to restart their lives. abe said he wished to express deepfelt condolences to the

people who lost loved ones in the disasters and those with relatives still missing. he said his heart goes out to all those affected by the catastrophe. >> translator: the disasters shouldn't be discussed in the past tense since they're still going on. but we can see some rays of hope in the affected areas thanks to the efforts of local people. i want to make these last longer. >> abe pledged to promote special housing projects for those who lost their homes. he also called for a stepped up effort to help disaster hit communities on a large scale. the prime minister said a road map will be drawn up this summer. he said it will outline when infrastructure, including roads and waterworks will be rebuilt in areas near the nuclear accident site to allow evacuees to return home. on the second anniversary of

the disaster. 1600 people affected by the nuclear accident have filed lawsuits. they're demanding compensation for the suffering and losses incured after the melt downs at fukushima daiichi. most of the plaintiffs are from fukushima. many had to evacuate their homes because of radio active contamination. self-lawsuits were filed on the same day at the district courts in fukushima, tokyo. they're demanding the region be are stored to the condition before the accident. >> translator: financial compensation is at a stand still because we all suffered from the i did as it sere in different ways. it's also because of the reliability of tepco and the japanese government has been established. >> total compensation is about

$55 million. >> a number of farmers are eager get back to the fields. government officials say about 20% of them still can't plant and harvest in their hometowns. >> it was part of the area. people can now visit the homes and fields during the day, but they don't know when they can return for good. we have the story. >> reporter: this man and his ancestors have grown rice in the district for about 400 years. 1200 other families farm here too. but the tsunami flooded the patties, and concerns about

radio following the accident kept people away for nearly a year. some started visited last cement. there was a group of farmers dedicated to cleaning up debris left behind. they have cleared about 70% of the district's rice fields. >> translator: these fields were weed ridden and abandoned. we found lots of debris, including broken cars. i feel it's much better now. >> reporter: farmers don't know when they will be able to start growing crops here again. that's not the only problem. irrigation ditches are damaged. a dam that supplied watt sere broken. without water, farmers can't grow rice. once this infrastructure is fixed, a bigger challenge

remains. farmers are concerned the soil could be contaminated. still, they are not sure if they can harvest safe crafts without first decontaminating their ground. local and national government officials recently explained the tests that organized last year. they said radiation in rice did not exceed safety standards. they invited farmers to take part this year. he says he is waiting to participa participate, but the decontamination work should be a priority. >> translator: if we produce rice contaminated with radio active substances, we'll be in a

different position. >> the agriculture ministry didn't make it clear where the problem needs to be addressed. >> i understand it's difficult to prepare for cultivation if the decontamination work doesn't go ahead. >> government readers promised to finish decontaminating the land by next year. but they still have not secured a place to temporarily store contaminated soil. so the work hasn't started. >> translator: we farmers should raise our voices and urge government officials to do what they promised to do. otherwise it will be too late. we can't sit and wait for the government to act. >> the farmers are determined to do whatever they can to harvest

rice again. they wonder if the government is prepared to make the same commitment. nhk world. a poll suggests some in japan are questioning the government's commitment to the reconstruction effort. they say things in the northeast are not moving ahead fast enough. >> reporter: people across japan feel the government needs to put more effort into accelerating reconstruction projects. nhk heard from 1,000 people over the weekend. more than half said they either approve or somewhat approve of prime minister abe's recovery effort. but more than 75% feel little progress has been made over the past two years or none at all. abe added $62 billion to the $200 billion reconstruction

budget after he took power in december. his government is now overseeing the work to build permanent housing in municipalities across the northeast. abe established a head office in fukushima prefecture under the reconstruction agency to supervise the outposts of relevant ministries. he wants to break down barriers among ministries and speed up the decision making process for decontamination and the return of evacuees. abe knows his approach to reconstruction can directly influence his public support. people criticize the former democratic party led government when an investigation revealed post-disaster funds had been allocated to projects irrelevant to the reconstruction effort. some say this incident along with rebuilding delays hurt former prime minister noda's approval rating. abe appears determined to

present visible progress to japanese voters ahead of the upper house election this summer. but many problems lie ahead. nearly two-thirds of the tsunami debris is still awaiting disposal in iwate, miyagi and fukushima prefectures. in fukushima alone, more than 80% needs to be dealt with. the government hasn't found a site to store soil and waste contaminated by radiation. crews have only started building permanent housing units. construction firms are dealing with shortage of workers and materials. abe may have set out some clear policies, but people are going to judge him not by the process but by the results. >> people in fukushima have also been worrying about the health of their economy. the disaster hit the agriculture and fisheries industries hard. tourism also suffered.

the nuclear accident caused people from abroad to cancel trip after trip. foreign visits are down by 70% compared to march 2011. nhk world shows us what's being done to try to turn things around. >> reporter: she has spent the past two years waiting for foreign tourists to come back. she's a native and has worked at the hotel for nearly a decade. she watched business drop off after the nuclear accident. >> translator: i like to see my hotel busy. >> reporter: for two years, the word fukushima has made almost everyone think of the damaged nuclear plant. people who work in the tourism industry have been trying to change public perception. the local government is taking the lead. the governor himself visited seoul last may in order to tell

tourism officials and businesses that radiation levels are safe. south koreans used to make up over 40,000 visitors to fukushima each year. that's half of all international tourists. but the number dropped to 2,000 after the disaster. the only airline offering regular flights between seoul and fukushima temporarily suspended its route. a ski resort, nearly 100 kilometers away from the stricken nuclear plant, hosted the world cup last month. it was the first such congress there in three years. local officials hope it will help promote the area's safety. >> translator: seeing is believing. we hope the tourists will talk about what they experienced he they go back to their country. that will gradually and steadily dispel negatives about fukushima.

>> reporter: just before the competition, local officials offered bargain price tours by chartering flights. the south koreans took one of the charter flights last month they paid about $400 for their trip, including their hotel. that's about half of what they normally pay. >> translator: i'm looking forward to good snow, which i can't experience in my country. >> reporter: abe greeted the tourists. and says the parts of the package were constructive, but some still felt uneasy about visiting fukushima. staff at abe's resort is trying

to address those worries. they measure radiation levels on the slopes every morning, then they post the results on their website. they say, the levels are as low as those in major cities around the world. ski resort operators are also offering discounts on tickets and accommodations for tourists. >> translator: i enjoyed the scenic views and skiing in japan. >> if my friends ask me about fukushima i'll tell them they don't need to worry about radiation at all. >> reporter: abe decided to give her guests handmade paper cranes on their last day. she wants tourists to leave fukushima with good memories, and to tell others to visit. >> translator: i hope they'll feel japanese hospitality, at

least a little, and visit fukushima again. >> reporter: locals believe their efforts will eventually draw foreign tourists back to fukushima and revive the regional economy. nhk world, fukushima. monday marks the second anniversary of the giant earthquake and tsunami in northeastern japan. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the indian ocean tsunami in 2004 left over 220,000 people dead or missing. the tsunami was caused by an earthquake that struck near the city of banda aceh. about 80,000 people there were killed. a city employee in banda aceh is visiting the city of fukushima in northeastern japan to learn about disaster recovery.

he was a student nine years ago when the tsunami struck. he was back home visiting banda aceh. >> translator: i felt a violent jolt when i was resting after morning prayers. i thought at first that my friends were shaking me, a practical joke. but i woke up and realized it was a big earthquake. >> reporter: he was worried about a tsunami. he knew how powerful tsunami can be from reading japanese comics. he fled to the second floor of his home. they survived. but he lost many relatives and friends in the disaster. more than 1,000 people died in the march 2011 tsunami. officers from the two cities have been visiting each other during the past year. hafriza left for japan on

saturday. >> translator: we can encourage each other. our communities were ruined. but as long as we're alive, we have a future. >> reporter: the disaster preparedness and recovery work, including spreading information overseas. he also shared the experience of banda aceh after the tsunami. he hopes this exchange of information can help the recovery of the two cities. nhk world, banda aceh. and here are the latest market figures.

malaysia is continuing its warmer weather is in the forecast for malaysia. >> yes, temperatures will be rebounding across korea and japan. about minus 20 was reported, but it is going to be coming back up. we have this high pressure just towards the east. that's filtering warm air all the way in from the tropics. it is dry out there, but then another system is going to start to pull in from the west. what this is going to be doing,

even in tokyo, 20 degrees expected, first it will be rain and snow across china, and then working it's way in. like the last testimony, it will push by, bring warm our, and then cold air fillturing in right behind it. typical for mid-march here. you see bay sing getting up to seven here on your tuesday, warm air surging in here, and much of southeastern china warmer than average. we're watching a storm system push across most of the midwest there in michigan and wisconsin. it will eventually push off into the quebec.

farther towards the south, you will have your share of weather. there are a few rain showering popping up with this. nothing too severe. i want to turn our attention to the west. we have the possibility of flooding in low lying areas. we have high pressure over the southwest. los angeles warm and pleasant there. same high pressure is pushing the moisture in on shore towards the north. so those combined really are going to be adding up those rainshowers. and los angeles, 26, that's nice. chicago is getting up to 4. europe, most of western europe, you have been above average for some time now. things are starting to cool off. we have cool arctic air coming

in from the north. in germany, you have seen reports upwards of 30 centimeters, into france, pretty heavy around 20 centimeters. and temperatures in london dropping down to the freezing marks through mid-week. on the flip side of that, though -- across much of southern spain, you will first see some rain that will shift over to snow. you're going to be seeing thunderstorms in italy. so continue to watch out for that. temperatures in the teens south of the alps to the north here. london, you're diving down to four here for your high on your tuesday. that's a look at your world weather, here is the extended forecast.

we spent much of the day covering the second anniversary of the march 11, 2011 disaster. sir vie vors on the northeast have taken steps forward on the path to recovery, but they have faced challenges. before we leave this hour, we wanted to hear from some of them. >> translator: the house i used to live in remains uninhabitable. maybe i should give up on it. i want to find a place to settle down. that's what i'm hoping for now. i don't know what is going to happen in the future. i can't even guess. >> right after the disaster, we always had to wait to get the things we needed. i once stood in line for four hours to buy food. now, i can live my days peacefully with my family and

friends. this simple fact makes me feel happy. >>. >> we're extremely grateful for all of the assistance we're receiving from abroad. our gratitude is beyond words. we're unable to repay the help that has come from far away. what we can do is to keep working with hope, and keep our chins up to show the world our gratitude. >> translator: we would like to have as many foreign tourists as possible visit fukushima. some may still be concerned about safety, but we would be very happy if more people could come visit us from overseas. and we'll continue to tell you about the struggles and successes in northeastern japan.

we'll see you back here in about 30 minutes.

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