Emperor Akihito urged the public Tuesday in his annual New Year's message to help those affected by the March 2011 disasters and together tackle the challenges of reconstruction.
"Our country is now going through difficult times because of the earthquake and other factors, but it is my wish that the people's hearts will always be with the afflicted, and that everyone will support one another to overcome the various challenges," the Emperor, 79, said in "New Year Thoughts 2013," released by the Imperial Household Agency.
Looking to the aftermath of the nuclear crisis following the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Emperor Akihito expressed his sympathy to residents who were displaced from their homes as a result of the triple meltdowns at the poorly protected Fukushima No. 1 power plant.