Navy to recognize third anniversary of Japan tsunami

CORONADO (CNS) – The Navy is scheduled to hold a memorial ceremony Tuesday
at Naval Station North Island to mark the third anniversary of the massive
earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated parts of Japan.

The ceremony, hosted by Rear Adm. Patrick Hall, the commander of Carrier
Strike Group Nine, will take place aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald
Reagan, which performed relief operations after the March 11, 2011 quake.

The 9.0-magnitude temblor and tsunami combined to kill around 16,000
people, left another 2,600 missing and caused a partial meltdown at the
Fukushima Dravidic nuclear power plant. Total damage was estimated at $300
billion.

The nuclear disaster, one of the world's worst, sent a radioactive cloud
over the Reagan, prompting sailors to take emergency precautions. Nearly
270,000 people remain homeless, the Japan Times reported.

The ceremony will include remarks from the Japanese Consul General in
Los Angeles, Jun Niimi, and a short commemoration by the Rev. Kenji Akahoshi of
the Buddhist Temple of San Diego.

Members of the local Japanese-American community have been invited to
attend. The ceremony is not open to the public.