(VOVworld)- The Japanese Embassy in Hanoi on Friday commemorated the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country's northeastern shores. The disaster left about 15,000 people dead and 3,000 missing, and triggered the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Roads have been restored in Iwate (Source: Boston)

Japanese Ambassador Yasuaki Tanizaki said it was the most disastrous catastrophe suffered by Japanese people. He stressed that Japan is grateful for the precious assistance from international friends and Vietnamese people which has helped the country recover quickly. On the occasion, documentary films featuring memoirs about the huge quake in northeastern Japan were screened at the National Library and the Japan Cultural Exchange Center in Hanoi.