Services held to remember the earthquake and tsunami which killed thousands and left communities devastated one year ago With moments of silence and prayers, Japan has begun marking one year since the massive earthquake and tsunami struck the nation, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century. At dawn in the devastated northeastern coastal town of Rikuzentakata, dozens of people from across Japan gathered to offer prayers in front of a solitary pine tree that stands amid the barrenness, a symbol of survival

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