Japan on Friday marked the centenary of the Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated the capital and surrounding areas, killing an estimated 105,000 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the country's history.

Ceremonies were held across the country to honor those who lost their lives in the magnitude-7.9 temblor and ensuing conflagration, as well as separate events to commemorate the Koreans and others who were massacred in the chaos following the disaster.

The quake not only caused buildings to collapse but also triggered fires in which about 90% of the casualties died along with tsunamis and mudslides.