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WORLD NEWSSaturday 12 March 2016

Tears, prayers as Japan marks 5th anniversary of tsunami

People offer incense stick to mourn the victims of the deadly March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsu- said. “It is important that promotion and other proj-
nami, in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan early Friday, March 11, 2016. Japan marks all the people keep their ects.
the fifth anniversary of the disaster on Friday. The sign reads “We never forget.” hearts together so that not At a Buddhist temple in
a single person still in dif- the tsunami-ravaged city
(Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP) ficulty is overlooked and of Rikuzentakata, memo-
they can return to normal rial prayers were offered
EMILY WANG offshore, triggering a dev- Empress Michiko and Prime life as soon as possible.” for the more than 1,700
MARI YAMAGUCHI astating tsunami that killed Minister Shinzo Abe, all in Five years on, the most residents who perished, in-
Associated Press more than 18,000 people formal wear, led a ceremo- heavily damaged commu- cluding about 200 whose
RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan and sent reactors at the Fu- ny in Tokyo attended by of- nities have yet to be rebuilt. bodies were never recov-
(AP) — Japanese gath- kushima nuclear plant into ficials and survivors. About 180,000 people are ered.
ered in Tokyo and along meltdown. “Many of the people af- still displaced, including “The best thing would be
the country’s ravaged Some teared up as they fected by the disaster are those reluctant to return for things to go back as
northeast coast to observe held hands or bowed their aging, and I worry that to homes in Fukushima. they were, but of course
a moment of silence at heads in prayer as sirens some of them may be Much of the disaster-hit To- that’s not how the world
2:46 p.m. Friday, exactly sounded on a chilly after- suffering alone in places hoku coast remains empty works,” said 37-year-old Ta-
five years after a magni- noon in northern Japan. where our eyes and atten- except for huge mounds dayuki Kumagai, who lost
tude-9.0 earthquake struck Japanese Emperor Akihito, tion don’t reach,” Akihito of dirt that are raising the his parents.
ground to minimize the risk He considers himself fortu-
of future tsunami before nate, because their bodies
any rebuilding. were found.
Abe acknowledged that “Even if it’s impossible to
many people are still strug- go back to the way things
gling, but said “recon- were before the disaster,
struction is steadily making everyone hopes that living
progress, step by step, with standards will at least come
housing being rebuilt and closer to what they were,”
jobs regained.” he said. “I think that’s what
His Cabinet approved on rebuilding means.”
Friday a new 6.5 trillion yen Housing is an acute prob-
($57 billion) five-year re- lem, with some still in tem-
construction plan through porary quarters, said Zuishu
2020 to speed up construc- Sugawara, the temple’s
tion of public housing for chief monk. Forty-seven
evacuees, and for medical members of the temple are
care, infrastructure, tourism among the missing.

Arab League brands Hezbollah group a terrorist organization

MAGGIE MICHAEL ported. It came just a day on its terrorist blacklist. group) and other resistant lah’s patron. Saudi Arabia
Associated Press after the league elected In Cairo, Saudi Ambassa- movements,” al-Jaafari cut diplomatic relations
CAIRO (AP) — The Arab veteran Egyptian diplomat dor Ahmed Qattan, told told the state daily Al-Ah- with Iran earlier this year
League on Friday formally Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as its the satellite TV station Al ram. after protesters angry over
branded Lebanon’s mili- new chief. The move aligns Arabiya that the vote was The decision by the Arab the kingdom’s execution of
tant Hezbollah group a the 22-member league not unanimous as Lebanon League is a significant blow influential Shiite cleric Nimr
terrorist organization, a firmly behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq abstained. to Hezbollah and it is also al-Nimr set fire to the Saudi
move that raises concerns and the Saudi-led bloc of Earlier in the day, the Saudi likely to further aggravate Embassy in Tehran and an-
of deepening divisions six Gulf Arab nations, which delegation stormed out of tensions in Lebanon, un- other diplomatic mission in
among Arab countries and made the same formal a league meeting in pro- dermining the country’s Iran.
ramps up the pressure on branding against Hezbollah test over a speech by Iraqi delicate political balance In addition to diplomatic
the Shiite group, which is on March 2. It also brings Foreign Minister Ibrahim al- amid fierce political infight- pressures, Saudi Arabia has
fighting on the side of Presi- the league in line with the Jaafari hailing Hezbollah ing between groups loyal just finished a three-week
dent Bashar Assad in Syria. United States, which is and Shiite militias as “resis- to Hezbollah and Saudi- long counter-terrorism drill
The decision came during closely allied with the Gulf tant movements.” backed factions. dubbed “Northern Thun-
a foreign ministers’ meet- states and has long consid- “I only described Hezbollah The league’s decision also der” that included 20 par-
ing of the Arab League at ered Hezbollah to be a ter- as a resistant movement reflects deep regional divi- ticipating countries, in what
the organization’s seat in rorist organization. The Eu- and rejected accusations sions between Sunni-ruled observers say was a show
Cairo, the Egyptian state ropean Union only lists the against the Popular Mobili- Saudi Arabia and Shiite of force by the kingdom
MENA news agency re- military wing of Hezbollah zation Forces (a Shiite Iraqi powerhouse Iran, Hezbol- against its foes.