NHK WORLD commemorates 5th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami tore through the country’s north-eastern coastal communities. The disaster killed almost 16,000 people and destroyed the lives of thousands more.

For the week of March 4 to 11, NHK WORLD’s NEWSLINE and NEWSROOM TOKYO will feature over two dozen stories and interviews with people living in the affected regions, sharing their experiences of the five year long journey and their hopes for the future.

On March 11, special edition of both programmes will include live coverage of the memorial ceremonies in Tokyo and Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, one of the hardest hit areas.

Through “Heart to Heart” campaign, NHK WORLD will offer diverse special programmes and short programmes that reveal how assistance and encouragement from around the world contributes to reconstruction and recovery in Tohoku.

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN has received more than 5,000 messages of encouragement from listeners worldwide since the disaster, and has passed many of them on to people in the affected areas.

Other broadcasts include an NHK Special on the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.