JAPAN marked the 15th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster on its north-east coast today.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 2011 caused more than 22,000 deaths and forced nearly half a million people to flee.

Some 160,000 people left their homes in Fukushima because of the radiation spewed from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. About 26,000 of them haven’t returned because they resettled elsewhere, their hometowns remain off-limits or they have lingering concerns about radiation.

Meanwhile, right-wing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pushed to accelerate reactor restarts and bolster nuclear power.

Friends of the Earth Japan executive director Ayumi Fukakusa warned last week that “the lessons of Fukushima are being erased and the disaster itself is being treated as though it never happened.

“Public funds are being used to promote the narrative that contaminated water and removed soil are safe, while the government pushes ahead with restarting nuclear power plants,” she said.

“At the same time, people across Japan and around the world continue to work tirelessly for a world free from the threats of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

“Their persistence and solidarity are essential. It is this determination that can prevent another nuclear disaster and move us toward a truly safe, peaceful and sustainable world.”