A memorial service was held Saturday for the victims of an earthquake that killed 44 people in Hokkaido seven years ago.
During the ceremony in the town of Atsuma, where 37 of the victims died, about 140 attendees, including bereaved relatives, offered prayers for the victims.
"Endless sorrow still wells up," said Atsuma Mayor Shoichiro Miyasaka. "We will move forward together, sharing future visions with residents," Miyasaka added, expressing his determination to rebuild and develop the town.
Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki attended the ceremony and delivered words of condolence.
The earthquake struck at 3:07 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2018, recording up to shindo 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale. It partially or fully destroyed more than 2,300 houses.
The quake also halted a thermal power plant, causing a large-scale blackout that affected 2.95 million households.
Representing the bereaved families, Shingo Nakamura, a 49-year-old town employee, said at the ceremony, "Our almost broken hearts have been lifted by people's kindness."
"We'll pass on the spirit of mutual support and the memories to the next generation without forgetting the lost lives," said Nakamura, whose parents and grandmother died in the disaster.
After the ceremony, the mayor visited a monument for the quake victims in a park near the town office, offering a silent prayer and laying flowers as a siren rang at noon.
A flower altar was set up in the Yoshino district of the town, where a quake-triggered landslide killed 19 people. Among the visitors there was Kazuyuki Ueda, a 38-year-old company employee who lost two cousins in the disaster.
"I can't forget the shock of seeing my place of memories completely changed," Ueda said. "I will come to offer floral tributes every year."
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