Back from the dead: Astonishing pictures show how Japan is recovering just three months after tsunami

By EMILY ALLEN

The pleasure boat ''Hamayuri'' washed up on the rooftop of an inn by tsunami and a building have so far been removed in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on April 6, top, and on June 3, bottom.


Japan's economy shrank 0.9 percent in the first quarter but recovery is expected between July and September

Just three months ago Japan was plunged into chaos after a cataclysmic earthquake sent a merciless tsunami crashing through towns and cities up and down the east coast.

The unforgiving tide of water obliterated tens of thousands of buildings, devouring almost anything in its path. Thousands of people died and hundreds of bodies have never been recovered.

The heart-breaking images of families desperately searching for loved ones amid the rubble of their homes sent shockwaves around the world.

Now, three months on, these images show the Japanese people remain undaunted by the havoc nature has wreaked on their homeland as step by step they rebuild their nation.



A Shinto shrine gate and surroundings in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture three days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the same spot on June 3


But despite their progress, stark reminders of the work left to do means the resilience of this Asian country is still being tested.

Headway in the clean-up has been made in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture where the pleasure boat ''Hamayuri'', which was remarkably washed up on the rooftop of an inn, has been removed, along with a building shattered by the the wall of water.

Further down is an image of a Shinto shrine gate in the town three days after the March 11 disaster.

The same spot on June 3 which shows thousands of tonnes of rubbish, which had lay smouldering in an almost post-apolcalyptic landscape, has been cleared, roads re-laid and power lines restored.

Civilisation appears to have returned in Natori in Miyagi prefecture too. The first image shows a towering wall of ocean crashing through trees devastating homes and businesses lining the coast, tearing down power lines and drowning anything in its path.


A residential area being hit by the tsunami in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, top, and the same area, with only one house remaining on June 3, bottom


A parking lot of a shopping centre filled with houses and debris in Otsuchi town, Iwate prefecture two days after the earthquake hit and the same area picture on June 3


Astonishingly just one house survived the wave and a lone digger is pictured having cleared away the once thriving community reduced to rubble. Hundreds of cars parked in the foreground remain abandoned and appear to be the only reminder of the devastation.

Similarly, the striking image of a ship atop tonnes of rubble in the Kesennuma in Miyagi prefecture on March 20 was projected around the world and became a symbol of the disaster.

The photograph shows grey smoke filled skies above a path of destruction, but three months on, much of the debris has been cleared, power lines restored and hope is on the horizon.

A car park in a shopping centre, filled with houses and debris in Otsuchi town in Iwate prefecture is also back on its feet and signs of life are returning. Parking spaces are clearly visible where piles of wood, bricks, and vehicles lay strewn just a few weeks ago.


A view of earthquake and tsunami-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture on March 15, top, and the same area pictured on June 3


The final image shows local people walking through debris on a street in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture to get water 48 hours after the disaster. The same image on June 3 shows the massive tank which lay in the road has gone and a damaged house on the left side of the street has been cleared and restored.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused the worst crisis in Japan since the Second World War and left almost 28,000 people dead or missing.

The clean-up bill is expected to top £184 billion and radiation fears from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant are still growing after four of the reactors were damaged leading to radiation leaks.

This week, an earless bunny was born near the reactor in north east Japan raising concerns the radiation could have long-term side effects.

Following the blast and initial leaks Japanese officials told people living near the plant to stay indoors and turn of air conditioning and also to not drink tap water.

High levels of radiation are known to cause cancer and other health problems but scientists are not yet clear if the defect in the rabbit is linked to the blast.


Local residents walking through debris on a street in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, to get water 48 hours after the disaster, top, and the same area on June 3 where a large tank and a damaged house on the left side of the street have been cleared away


Japan's economy slipped into recession following the devastation and new data shows it shrank 0.9 percent in the first quarter of this financial year but experts say a recovery later this year as industry kicks into action.

Industrial output rose one per cent in April from a record decline in March.

Manufacturers are making progress in restoring supply chains and ecnomists are predicting Gross Domestic Project to begin expanding again between July and September.



A view of earthquake and tsunami-hit Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture on March 20, left, and the same area after the building and debris was removed on June 3


Australian Red Cross - Japan Earthquake and Tsunami devastation


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Kiss me, quick! Twilight's Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Romantic moment: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson share a kiss after a party to celebrate the premiere of Water For Elephants in New York last night


Reese Witherspoon might not have enjoyed getting close to Robert Pattinson, but his girlfriend Kristen Stewart apparently has no complaints.

The actress, 21, was spotted kissing her Twilight co-star, 24, in the back seat of a car as they left an after party following the New York premiere of his new movie, Water For Elephants, last night.

Stewart was carrying her high heels in her hands and looked giddy as she leaned in for the affectionate moment.


Home time: The pair shared a back-seat smooch as the called it a night


The brunette, who is always eager to keep her relationship out of the spotlight, had skipped the red carpet but turned out to support her boyfriend at the private bash.

Pattinson instead attended the screening with his co-star Reese Witherspoon, who had just days earlier described the pair's love scenes as 'unpleasant'.

'He had a very runny nose,' the 35-year-old told MTV, adding: 'It wasn’t appealing. It wasn’t pleasant.'


Happy couple: Despite having sore feet, Kristen couldn't wipe the smile off her face


Reese, who married talent agent Jim Toth last month, offered her co-star some advice for his future kissing scenes too.

'Bring a Sudafed,' she joked.

Pattinson has been dating Stewart since 2009 and the pair have recently been filming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, both parts 1 and 2, which is expected to finish later this month.

The upcoming installments will see their characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen get married and have a child.


Awkward: Robert walked the red carpet with his co-star Reese Witherspoon, who had earlier described love scenes with the actor as 'unpleasant'


Meanwhile, Reese has been hot on the promotional trail for the movie, which is released on April 22.

Today, she sported three different outfits as she did a tour of talk shows in New York.

She wore a clingy blue dress, long black coat and cream coloured heels for an appearance in Good Morning America, before changing into a coral mini dress and black tights for The View.

Lastly, she went for a more summery look in a floral pink and white number for a radio appearance.


All change: Reese changed outfits three times for her talk show appearances in New York earlier today


Water for Elephants Premiere - Robert Pattinson








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Back in his owner's arms, the tsunami dog who survived three weeks at sea on wrecked house

Back where she belongs: The plucky dog was finally reunited with her owner, who alerted police after spotting her on TV


The lucky dog rescued from a roof drifting off Japanese coast for three weeks after the tsunami has finally been reunited with her owner.

Members of the Japan Coast Guard spotted the stricken pet - who had drifted nearly 2km offshore - during an aerial search of the area.

The two-year-old dog, called Ban, had an emotional reunion with her female owner after the woman spotted her on television.

Ban had survived for three weeks after the tsunami when coastguards spotted her while searching at sea for human survivors.

She was found drifting some 1.8km (1.1 miles) off Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, one of the Japanese areas hit worst by the disaster.

Local television showed showed pictures of the dog scampering around the roof of the house before it disappeared inside through a hole in the roof.


The emotional reunion came after the dog survived for three weeks on its own out at sea


It is thought the roof had become detached and washed out to sea by receding waters from the tsunami, which struck northeast Japan on March 11.

Her owner recognised the dog on TV and alerted authorities, who reunited woman and pet yesterday.

The pair were reunited at an animal care centre where the dog was being looked after.
The dog's owner, a woman who did not wish to be named, said: 'We'll never let go of her.


Against all odds: The dog appears to have survived by clinging to a house that had been swept away by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11


'I saw the rescue on the news, and knew it was her. I knew her right away, from her face.'

Toshiro Suzuki, head of the animal shelter, said: 'I'm happy for the reunion, after they were separated by the disaster.'


Japan 'tsunami dog' Ban reunited with owner after surviving at sea



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Tsunami's terrifying power is revealed in new clip as fresh 6.5-magnitude quake hits Japan

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Leading edge: As alarm sirens blare over the city, the initial surge spills over barriers around Kesennuma Bay and begins running through the streets


As news emerged today of yet another earthquake striking Japan, terrifying new footage from the original March 11 earthquake and tsunami shows the brutal and deadly power of the water that has claimed thousands of lives.

Filmed from the top of a building in Kesennuma, around 300 miles north-east of Tokyo, the footage shows the surge of water cascading over coastline barriers around Kesennuma Bay as a tsunami alarm sounds.

It quickly turns into a furious torrent of water, sweeping everything away - including cars, ships and buildings - as it forces itself inland.


Gone in seconds: Within a minute the carpark in the previous shot has been completely erased by the fast-flowing water - giving residents no time to react


Panning right: The amateur cameraman points his handheld camera to capture water pouring through the streets beyond - destroying everything in its path


The sheer power of the water has to be seen to be believed. More unnerving is the sound of the tsunami crushing and grinding everything in its path.

The 5min 45sec clip begins as the leading edge of the tsunami has already struck, with cars being pushed over the bay's surge barriers and being swept into a nearby car park.

The amateur cameraman pans the handheld camera to the left to capture the fast-flowing water as it rushes into the bay. A siren begins and a recorded voice in Japanese gives tsunami advice to Kesennuma residents.


Disaster zone: The tsunami's devastation is now complete - what was once a thriving city no longer exists


Soon the wall of water is moving with incredible speed and rising fast - the barrier that had once looked like a mini waterfall is now now merely a ripple as the tide flows over it.

A storage building with a green roof in the middle distance of the shot begins to disintegrate under the immense force.

The camera pans to the right and focusses on another part of the city. Water can be seen flooding surrounding streets and buildings in the distance are being washed away as smoke rises from the ravaged city.


An injured man, using two sticks to support himself, walks underneath a ferry that came to rest on the roof of a two-storey building in Otsuchi, in the north-east of the country


Reiko Kikuta, right, and her husband Takeshi Kikuta watch as workers attempt to attach ropes to their submerged home to try to pull it ashore with construction equipment on Oshima Island in north-eastern Japan


Daunting task: Police officers in protective suits search among the wreckage left by the natural disaster for missing people in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture





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Not such a good idea: Paris Hilton regrets devouring huge burger right before Japan charity run

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Running for relief: Paris and Nickey arrived at 11am to take part in the 'Tokidoki Youth Relief/Red Cross Run'


Most athletes would stay away from eating large meals right before a race, and Paris Hilton soon regretted snacking on a burger ahead of her charity run.

The heiress munched away on a ‘Fatburger’ hamburger before taking part in a two mile charity run to raise money for earthquake and tsunami-hit Japan.

Perhaps the 30-year-old thought the extra carbohydrates would fuel her during the race, but instead she appeared to be struggling through her first mile.


'Best burger ever': Paris says Fatburger burgers are her favourite and couldn't resist the treat ahead of her run, but later admitted she wished she had waited until after the race to eat it


Paris was joined by her sister Nicky and the girls arrived in Santa Monica at 11am to take part in the ‘Tokidoki Youth Relief/Red Cross Run’.

The Simple Life star still managed to crack a smile during the jog though, but afterwards onlookers saw her quickly grab a bottle of water and dash off to her car to sit down.

She then admitted to one of the cameramen that it wasn’t the best idea and wished she’d waited until after the race to eat the burger.


Carb-loading: Paris quickly eats her burger before the race


But Paris, who was dressed in black jogging bottoms and a white charity T-shirt animated with Japanese characters, did insist that ‘Fatburger’ make ‘the best burgers ever’.

So far 90,000 of the charity T-shirts have been sold to raise money for Japan’s victims.

Black Eyed Peas songstress Fergie also ran the race and looked athletic in three-quarter length jogging leggings and a matching black top animated with the Japanese characters.

The Boom Boom Pow singer was pounding the pavement alongside her husband Josh Duhamel.

The Transformers star organised the event after being affected by the devastation caused by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11.


Celebrity runners: Paris and Nicky were joined by Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, who had filmed the video for her band's latest single Just Can't Get Enough in Tokyo just a week before the earthquake hit


Fergie and her band members had filmed the video for their latest single Just Can’t Get Enough in Tokyo just a week before the earthquake hit.

Duhamel wrote on his Twitter page after the event, posting: ‘We did it! 4,000+ people pack the beach!

‘The youth of LA mobilized & should be proud. All of u that donated should be proud. Much love. JD.’

Paris also later tweeted: ‘Such a great day today. I love helping make a difference’ and ‘Felt so amazing to support Japan today and run.’


Helping couple: Fergie and her husband Josh Duhamel (right) organised the event after being affected by the devastation caused by the 9.0-magnitued earthquake on March 11


Group involvement: The famous sisters ran amongst the crowd of runners, who were keen to take part in the two mile charity race


She then wrote on Fergie’s Twitter page, writing: ‘Happy Birthday @TheFergie! Love you so much! So proud of all that you have achieved, you are amazing! Love Paris xox…’

Fergie had celebrated her 36th birthday in Las Vegas on Friday night at the Bellagio Resort and Casino.

The charity run has raised over $13,000 (£81,000) so far.

Before the run, Paris and Nicky also quickly popped into Santa Monica's Fred Segal store to do a spot of shopping ahead of their charity effort.


Pounding pavement: Paris put in a good effort as she raced two miles for the charity alongside other LA locals


Before the run: The sisters popped into Santa Monica's Fred Segal store before the race and grabbed another snack in Brentwood Plaza


Dianna Agron Paris Hilton And Fergie Join Josh Duhamel At Tokidoki Relief Run for Japan



RED CROSS RELIEF RUN: HAPPY BIRTHDAY FERGIE


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Dark days in ghost town of Tokyo

By RICHARD SHEARS

Ghost town: A landmark crossroads in Tokyo's Ginza district is eerily dark and empty as people stay indoors after warnings about a radioactive cloud from the stricken nuclear plant 150 miles away


It is one of the great cities of the world, home to 13million and as advanced as any metropolis on the planet.

Now Tokyo, usually so full of life by day and night, has the aura of death about it.

Its lights have been cut, supermarket shelves are empty, there are queues for everything and aftershocks come every day.

You could find a few die-hard Brits and other expatriates who wouldn't leave their beers on the counter in the party-time district of Roppongi for any threatening radioactive cloud, but mostly Tokyo has become eerily quiet. Nobody wants to venture out and the streets are deserted.

Everyone, it seems, shares the opinion that something very bad is happening at the Fukushima nuclear power plant 148 miles away, and nobody wants to risk breathing the air.

The British government has joined other nations in urging its citizens to leave the country whatever way they can, including banding together to join a charter flight. Other Britons trapped in the tsunami-stricken Sendai area have been offered the chance of being driven to Tokyo on a chartered bus.

But it will be a long journey because the vehicle will have to skirt around the nuclear power plant which stands between Sendai and the capital.

Some Britons have taken their own steps to get out of Tokyo, among them 23-year-old Kezia Poole, an English language teacher from London who has lived in Japan for 13 months.

'I'm flying to the Australian Gold Coast tomorrow,' she said. 'I'll sit back and breathe in the clean, fresh air. It's just not worth waiting around in Tokyo listening to officials telling us this and telling us that.'


Dimmer: Buildings in Tokyo turn down the lights as part of electricity saving efforts to avoid massive power outages and, right, its usual neon shine


She leaves behind a city in fear – a city that was plunged into darkness last night as electricity was cut to conserve power following the massive loss of production at Fukushima.

In Roppongi, the red-light district which is usually thick with crowds, where English girls play hostess to deceitful Japanese husbands, there was hardly a customer in sight.

A British hostess, who would give her name only as Jenny, was already on her way home before midnight, when usually business is thriving.

'They've said I can leave early,' the blonde, heavily wrapped in leather and furs, said in her north country accent. 'A lot of us haven't seen much of the news – how bad is it, then?'

There was no one in the whole of Tokyo who could tell her that, and even if they did, would it be the truth?
For the words coming from the lips of government spokesmen and the Tokyo Electric Company officials who have been holding daily press conferences carry mixed messages: 'We are working at the problem, the radiation is not harmful to humans, you should stay indoors and keep the windows closed, the levels have gone up, the levels have gone down, we've managed to pour water on the rods and that should cool them, the radiation has gone up again.'



No man's land: The normally bustling streets of the dynamic city are virtually deserted


Darkness falls: The usually brilliantly lit skyline has been shrouded in darkness to conserve scant resources of electricity as the crisis continues


Little wonder that many businesses sent their workers home early in the hope of beating the evening rush hour.

The result was long queues at stations for trains, many of which were suddenly cancelled because of fears that rolling blackouts would affect services.

'I just want to be with my children right now,' said an insurance company secretary waiting in the biting cold in a long queue.

'I don't know if my train is running, there are no cabs available and I have no other means of getting home. Everyone wants to leave Tokyo, or at least be home with their families because of the uncertainty.' Some, braving the cold and whatever they feared might be carried in the air, stood in front of public TV sets to watch government officials trying to explain what was happening at Fukushima. Their reaction was sceptical.

'We're living in modern times. We have robots in the factories, our technology is world famous and yet we end up pouring buckets of water on a nuclear plant,' said one office worker.

'This is taking us back years. We're going to be in darkness for a long time.' Whether he meant darkness at night because of power cuts or darkness because of what lies ahead for the nation, didn't seem to matter.

It is going to be dark in Tokyo and up the coast, where hundreds of thousands shiver and cry for everyone and everything they have lost, for a very long time to come.


Business is slow: A taxi driver reads a newspaper as he waits for a fare on an empty street


Contrast: An evacuee from a junior high school studies under the light of a kerosene stove at a makeshift shelter in stricken Ofunato


Eerie: People weave their way between blacked out high rises. Tokyo faces at much as six months of blackouts



What a contrast: While the streets of Tokyo are empty, the city's airports are packed with residents hoping to get away


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Get out of Tokyo: Foreign Office tells all Britons to leave toxic radiation zone as Japanese 'lose control' of stricken reactor

By JASON GROVES

Chaos: Passengers crowd Mar Haneda International Airport outside Tokyo as foreigners scramble to flee the country amid radiation fears


17,000 British nationals could be evacuated as last ditch efforts are made to stop nuclear catastrophe

Rich scramble to book private jets out the country as fleeing passengers pack Tokyo airport

French say Japanese have 'visibly lost essential control' as they urge their citizens to get out

Plans are being drawn up to evacuate every British national in Japan amid mounting fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Thousands of Britons were last night warned to leave Tokyo and all other areas under threat of radiation poisoning.



Last ditch: A Japanese military helicopter - silhouetted top left - dumps water onto reactors 3 and 4 at Fukushima nuclear plant


The advice – echoed by other countries around the world – followed a meeting of the Cabinet’s emergency Cobra committee to discuss the meltdown-threatened Fukushima nuclear plant.

It heightened suspicions that the crisis at the plant – already ranked the second-worst nuclear disaster after Chernobyl – is worse than the Japanese authorities have publicly let on. Yesterday ‘last-ditch’ efforts were continuing at Fukushima to prevent a catastrophe with a Japanese army helicopter dumping water onto troubled nuclear reactor.


Collecting water: The Self-Defense Forces's helicopter scoops seawater on Japan's northeast coast en route to the Fukushima plant


A CH-47 Chinook helicopter began dumping seawater on the damaged reactor of Unit 3 at the Fukushima complex at 9.48am local time, said defense ministry spokeswoman Kazumi Toyama. The aircraft dumped at least four loads on the reactor, though much of the water appeared to be dispersed in the air.

The dumping was intended both to help cool the reactor and to replenish water in a pool holding spent fuel rods, Toyama said. The plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said earlier that the pool was nearly empty, which might cause the rods to overheat.

Last night an official at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that radiation levels at the plant had fallen steadily over the past 12 hours.



However, ministers were due to hold further talks last night on whether an immediate evacuation from Japan should be considered.

About 17,000 British nationals are thought to be in the country, mostly in Tokyo. Last night’s Foreign Office warning stopped short of ordering them to leave the country – a diplomatic gesture which will be welcomed by the Japanese government.

But officials conceded that in reality most Britons will have few options but to leave Japan if they want to heed the advice.

Thousands of Japanese citizens are already fleeing Tokyo for the south.

Officials yesterday insisted there was no significant risk to human health in Tokyo, which is less than 140 miles south of Fukushima.

But Europe’s energy chief Guenther Oettinger warned the huge plant was ‘effectively out of control’ – sparking fears of a meltdown, which could send a radioactive cloud into the atmosphere.


He warned of ‘further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island’. Mr Oettinger predicted the dire situation could take a further turn for the worse ‘within hours’.

The Japanese public was also unconvinced by its government’s reassurances. The mayor of Minimisoma, which is 12 miles from the Fukushima plant, said: ‘We weren’t told when the first reactor exploded, we only heard about it on television. The government doesn’t tell us anything. We are isolated. They’re leaving us to die.’

The Foreign Office insisted there was ‘no real human health issue’ outside the 20-mile exclusion zone surrounding the plant.



But it warned that panic caused by the crisis meant there were ‘potential disruptions to the supply of goods, transport, communications, power and other infrastructure’ in Tokyo.

Officials confirmed that contingency plans were being drawn up for an airlift of British nationals if the crisis worsens. Talks have already been held with airlines about laying on extra flights.

The warning came as the Japanese authorities made increasingly desperate attempts to contain the crisis at the Fukushima plant.

Helicopters deployed to dump water on the plant were pulled out amid concerns about soaring radiation levels.

Officials were considering using water cannon – normally used to control riots – in a desperate bid to cool the overheating reactors, which have suffered a series of explosions.



Escape: residents gather up their belongings and form a queue as they wait to board a bus out of Sendai, north eastern Japan, yesterday





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Don't give up! Japanese Emperor makes a rare TV appearance to urge his people on. But now they must face a new torture, the snow

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

- Temperatures drop below 0C as 450,000 shelter in makeshift camps with little food or water

- Emperor Akihito makes rare television address urging his people not to give up

- More than 4,000 bodies found and another 7,000 missing assumed dead

Heart of the wasteland: Car headlamps illuminate Yamada in Iwate prefecture


The Emperor of Japan today made a desperate plea for his countrymen not to give up as the devastation following the earthquake and tsunami worsened.

The rubble-strewn wastelands of north-east Japan were covered by a blanket of snow today, hitting hopes of finding any more survivors five days after the devastating tsunami.

Freezing temperatures also made things worse for millions of survivors - hundreds of thousands of whom are sheltering in makeshift camps in areas cut off from the outside world - as food and fuel supplies run low.


Things get worse: Rescue workers walk in heavy snowfall at a factory area that was devastated after being hit by an earthquake and tsunami in Sendai,


Rescue crews battled rain that turned to snow as the mercury dipped below zero, while others returned to where their homes once stood to try and salvage any possessions they can find.

More than 10,000 are thought to have died when the huge wave hit the country- rescuers have found around 4,000 bodies and 7,000 victims are still missing.

However the death toll could still rise much higher than that.


Rare appearance: Emperor Akihito speaking during a televised address to the nation


As the plight of his people continues to worsen, Japanese Emperor Akihito delivered a rare video message to the nation urging the Japanese 'not to give up'.

It was an unprecedented move for Akihito, who is revered by the Japanese people but rarely appears in public. The emperor was regarded as an all powerful god-king until the Japanese lost the Second World War.

'I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times,' he said.

'We don't know the number of victims, but I pray that every single person can be saved.'

'People are being forced to evacuate in such severe conditions of bitter cold, with shortages of water and fuel ... I cannot help praying that rescue work is done swiftly and people's lives get better, even a little.'

He also expressed 'concern' at the unfolding nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant.

There are fears that the country's infrastructure will take a decade to recover, with estimated cost of the damage to buildings and factories put at £124billion.

However Japan's Nikkei index closed up 4.5 per cent today in a rebound that follows two days of precipitous falls.


Heartbreak and joy: : Yoshie Murakami cries as she holds a hand of her dead mother in the rubble near the spot where her home used to be in Rikuzentakata, Iwate (left). Murakami's 23-year-old daughter is still missing. (Right) A mother hugs her one-year-old twins as they are reunited five days after the earthquake


Wiped out: cars and lorries are strewn across what used to be an industrial area in the city of Sendai. Experts estimate it could be ten years before Japan's infrastructure recovers form the damage caused by the tsunami


Sifting through the wreckage: Residents return to the neighbourhoods where their homes once stood to search for household goods in Sendai


Millions of people are struggling along the coast with little food, water or heat, and already chilly temperatures dropped further as a cold front moved in.

Up to 450,000 people are staying in temporary shelters, often sleeping on the floor of school gymnasiums. About 850,000 households in the north are without electricity.

Fears are mounting over the cost of rebuilding the country, as experts said the devasatation was much worse than the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake.


Unbearably bleak: Japan's Self Defence Force soldiers trawl the snow for bodies in a field in Miyako, Iwate while Reiko Miura, 68, cries as she looks for her sister's son at a tsunami-hit area in Otsuchi, Iwate


The four most severely affected prefectures (states) - Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki - are home to industries from farming to auto parts to electronics and make up some 6 percent of Japan's economy.

The biggest port on the northeast coast, Sendai, has been destroyed. It handled mainly container shipments of exports including rubber and marine products, office machinery, paper goods and auto parts. Three others - Hachinohe, Ishinomaki and Onahama - were severely damaged and will likely be out of commission for months.


Japan's emperor in historic speech 'Never give up hope' - 16th March 2011 CNN.



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