Tens of thousands of people have rallied near Japan's crippled Fukushima plant demanding an end to nuclear power as the nation marked the first anniversary of a disastrous earthquake and tsunami.
Memorial ceremonies and anti-nuclear demonstrations were held across the northeast region where an estimated 160,000 people were forced to evacuate after the monster waves triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Around 16,000 people gathered at a baseball stadium in Koriyama some 60 kilometres away from the plant.
Participants called for an end to nuclear energy in Japan and compensation for victims from operator Tokyo Electric Power, a year after the March 11 quake-tsunami sparked the world's worst atomic disaster in a generation.
"Our town has turned out to be another Chernobyl," Masami Yoshizawa, who ran a cattle farm in Namie, 10km from the plant, shouted through a loudspeaker.
"We are in despair now, but I will get back my hometown even if it takes me the rest of my life," said Yoshizawa as he stood atop a wagon displaying pictures of his cows lying dead in their shed.
"I won't be beaten, no matter what. I will keep on fighting," he said.
A group of monks in brown and white robes chanted Buddhist sutras as activists carried banners reading: "We never forget the March 11 Great Earthquake. We will never forgive the nuclear accident."
"Fukushima is being forgotten day by day," said Yumiko Ono, a 34-year-old graphic designer from Tokyo.
"If we don't raise our voices right now, another accident could happen. We want to tell the world that the crisis and the hardship is still going on," she added.
A moment of silence was observed at 14:46, the moment the 9.0-magnitude quake struck below the Pacific sea floor, sending monster waves into Japan's northeastern coast.
The tsunami swamped cooling systems at the plant and sent three reactors into meltdown, spewing radiation into the environment.
日本大地震和海啸灾难发生一周年之际，数万名日本民众聚集在废弃的福岛核电站前，要求停止使用核能。
日本东北部多地都举行了纪念仪式和反核能示威。在海啸引发福岛第一核电站危机后，据估计有16万人被迫疏散。
大约1.6万人在距核电站大约60公里的郡山市一处棒球场举行了集会。
参加者呼吁日本停止使用核能，要求东京电力公司补偿受害者损失。一年前的3月11日，日本发生强震和海啸，引发了这个时代最恐怖的一场核灾难。
吉泽正见拿着扬声器大声喊：“我们的家园已成为另一个切尔诺贝利。”他在距离核电站10公里处经营一家养牛场。
“我们现在陷于绝望中，但我一定要回到家乡，即使要付出余生的代价。”他站在货车上，向大家展示多张养牛场内奶牛尸体的照片。
他说：“无论如何，我不会被击垮，会继续奋斗。”
一群僧侣身穿棕色和白色的长袍，吟着佛经，抗议者举着横幅，上面写着：“我们不会忘记3?11大地震，不会原谅核事故。”
34岁的东京平面设计师小野裕见子说：“人们正一天天忘记福岛。”
她补充说：“如果我们现在不发出声音，就可能发生另一场核事故。我们想要告诉世界，危机和苦难还没有过去。”
下午14点46分，人群一起默哀。去年3月11日14时46分，太平洋海底发生9级强震，在日本东北海岸引发海啸。
海啸淹没了核电站的冷却系统，摧毁了3座核反应堆，并引发核辐射。
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