Today marks 5 years since Japan suffered the devastating double disaster of earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Not only did this terrible disaster leave great pain in the hearts of every citizen of the land of cherry blossoms, it still has many unresolved consequences, including the nuclear crisis after the Fukushima power plant explosion.

Huge piles of waste in Fukushima after the March 11 disaster. (Photo: Reuters)

Although half a decade has passed since the earthquake and tsunami, the people of Fukushima Prefecture are still struggling to overcome environmental, social and economic problems. After the radiation leak at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the area has turned into a "dead zone" with scenes of devastation, ruins, many abandoned houses and classrooms, and overgrown grass everywhere.

The earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11, 2011 claimed the lives of nearly 16,000 people and damaged or destroyed more than 125,000 homes. The latest figures released by the Japanese government also show that more than 3,400 survivors of the 2011 disaster have died from health problems related to the disaster, most of whom were in Fukushima Prefecture (58%).

Five years after the disaster, many Japanese people have not been able to return to their homes, although their desire to return to their homeland remains strong in their minds. Many are still living in temporary housing, while others have chosen to move to new places, giving up hope of returning home.

About 10,000 children and their families who evacuated Fukushima after the earthquake have yet to return due to environmental and economic concerns. The birth rate has also dropped sharply since the devastating earthquake and tsunami. In 12 cities in Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, the population has dropped by more than 10% since the disaster, and half of these cities have seen a drop in births of more than 20%.

An ostrich walks through a neighborhood in Fukushima. (Photo: AP)

The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster recovery is estimated to take 30-40 years to complete, costing tens of billions of dollars. TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, said that the recovery and reconstruction work will not be completed before 2050.

However, recently, the representative of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Mr. Naohiro Masuda, appreciated the progress made in the incident recovery work: "Recently, we can finally feel that the situation has calmed down a bit and can look forward to the future. I am confident to say that we have made great progress in the past year."

Japan's nuclear power plants have been shut down for safety checks following the earthquake and tsunami. Japan is inviting experts from around the world to its first international forum on decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in early April in Fukushima Prefecture.

“We are holding this forum to mark the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, and to gather expertise and intelligence from around the world, promoting understanding of the current status and progress of the decommissioning work. At the same time, we hope this will contribute to human resource development, as well as encourage research and development,” said Satoru Toyomoto, an official in charge of nuclear accident response at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

According to VOV