Japan: Fukushima town holds first Coming-of-Age Day ceremony since nuclear disaster
Seventy-three young people marked their entry into adulthood Jan. 10 in the first such ceremony held in their hometown here since the 2011 nuclear disaster. The Coming-of-Age Day ceremony was for those who turned or will turn 20 years old by April 1. It was held a day earlier than traditional ceremonies scheduled for across Japan.
They had all just attended a graduation ceremony at Naraha Junior High School when the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit on March 11, 2011, triggering the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Kaede Nogi, 20, speaking on behalf of the participants at the ceremony on Jan. 10, extended her gratitude, saying, “I am very happy that I could mark the milestone day in my hometown which I love, and with my friends whom I love.”