Police officers in the Tohoku region, hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, are remaining steadfast in their mission to identify victims’ remains, despite a dwindling influx of information from the public 13 years after the twin disasters.
In Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, a total of 53 individuals who died in the March 11, 2011, catastrophe have been accounted for as of this February. Despite ongoing efforts, one officer conceded, "there is no end" to the arduous task of identifying remains.
After the disaster, the Iwate Prefectural Police established a specialized team dedicated to identifying remains. By employing advanced mitochondrial DNA profiling, the team successfully identified three bodies in June 2023.