(VOVworld) – March 11^th marks the third anniversary of the 2011 Japanese quake-tsunami disaster that took the lives of more than 20,000 people.

Japanese people pray as they commemorates victims of the double catastrophe. (Photo: Getty Image)

Marking the exact time of the double catastrophe, the Japanese Emperor and Empress and more than 1,200 relatives held a moment of silence for the victims. Addressing the commemoration, Japanese Emperor Akihito expressed his admiration to the people in the disaster areas who have been working to overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homeland. He called on the Japanese people to unite and rebuild Japan as a strong country despite the natural disasters. Attending the commemoration, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to do his utmost to speed up reconstruction of the disaster areas.