Twelve years on from the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, reconstruction efforts are being frustrated as the population in many disaster-stricken areas has not recovered.
Although headway has been made in projects such as the rebuilding of transportation networks and relocation of homes to higher ground, fewer residents than expected have returned.
The population shortage is worst in the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, as well as the areas affected by the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster.
The number of residents in the 42 municipalities that cover these areas has fallen by about 140,000 in the 10 years since 2010, according to the national census. The population was about 2.57 million in 2010, the year before the earthquake.
According to the census, the population declined by 8.9% in Iwate Prefecture, 1.9% in Miyagi Prefecture and 9.6% in Fukushima Prefecture over the decade, faster in each case than the national rate of 1.4%.
The population of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, where 3,970 people died or went missing, has declined by 20,675.
Various efforts are being made in under populated coastal areas of the three disaster-stricken prefectures to encourage people to settle there or return to their homes, but younger people tend to move to cities.
According to the census, Miyagi's capital Sendai gained 50,718 residents and the neighboring city of Natori 5,584, but the population in surrounding areas fell significantly.
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