Japan has fallen silent to honour the 19,000 people killed a year ago in a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in a generation.
Tearful families gathered in towns and villages across the country's shattered northeast to remember those they lost as the towering waves smashed ashore.
At 2.46pm (1646 AEDT) on Sunday the nation paused for a minute's silence to mark the moment nature's fury was visited on Japan, when the nine-magnitude quake set off a devastating chain of events.
At a national ceremony of remembrance in Tokyo, silent prayers were led by Japan's prime minister and Emperor Akihito, who said the country would "never forget" its worst post-war calamity.
"Many difficulties lie ahead in the reconstruction of the disaster-affected areas," he said, urging citizens to "join their hearts with the people affected by the disasters, and continue to help them to improve their lives".
A single pillar symbolising the souls of those who died stood in the middle of the stage, decorated with white chrysanthemums and lilies.
Anti-nuclear demonstrations were held across the northeast region where an estimated 160,000 people were forced to evacuate after the monster waves triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
One year on, more than 340,000 people are still living in temporary housing - most lost their homes when a wall of black water crushed whole communities.
Others were forced to flee homes in the shadow of Fukushima as it began venting toxic radiation over homes and farmland when its cooling systems were knocked out, unleashing the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Many parts of a 20-km exclusion zone imposed around the Fukushima plant are likely to remain uninhabitable for years, perhaps decades.
In Okuma, home to the crippled plant, displaced residents wore anti-radiation suits, gloves and masks on a rare visit to their contaminated hometown, where they remembered those they had lost.
An elderly woman, whose grandchild is listed as missing, wept as she laid flowers at a makeshift altar.
"I want my grandchild to be found," she told reporters.
In the nearby city of Koriyama, around 16,000 people rallied to demand an end to nuclear power in Japan.
As darkness fell, candlelight ceremonies were held across the country to wrap up the day of commemoration. In Fukushima city, more than 300 people gathered for Candle Night in front of local government offices.
Swaths of the tsunami-hit coast remain in ruins, with reconstruction work stalled amid arguments over where and how to rebuild. Once tight-knit villages have been scattered and the economy has taken a battering.
In Ishinomaki, home to a fifth of those who died in the disaster, tsunami warning sirens wailed to mark the moment the quake hit, sending huge waves into the city where they claimed the lives of nearly 4000 people.
"It's been a year since my father died. I am going to pray that I can get over my grief and that my children can feel better," said Hitomi Oikawa, 37.
Speaking at the national ceremony, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged Japan would recover from its tragedy.
"Our forebears, who led our country to prosperity, stood up with brave resolution in times of crisis," he said.
"While offering our support for the daily struggles of those people in the disaster-affected regions, we will join hands as we seek to fulfil our historic mission of 'the rebirth of Japan through reconstruction'."
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