When the quake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, struck northeast Japan, the lives of 367 first responders — police, firefighters and district welfare workers — were lost in the three worst-affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
Among them was Takafumi Momma, 35, a leader at his volunteer fire brigade. Momma was home in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, when the 9.0-magnitude temblor occurred off Tohoku's coast. Unaware of the giant tsunami it had spawned, he quickly headed off to assist local residents and never returned.
Most of the first responders killed that March afternoon were engulfed by tsunami while providing evacuation guidance to residents and shutting floodgates, among other duties.