March 10, 2012, Minamisannriku-cho, Japan - Banners flatter in the early spring breeze at a temporary shopping mall recently completed in the empty lot of Minamisannriku-cho, Miyagi Prefecture, some 365 km northeast of Tokyo, on Saturday, March 10, 2012. ..One year after the strongest earthquake ever to hit Japan, the economy is recovering and massive cleanup operations are in full swing throughout much of the countrys northeastern region. But once-pastoral landscapes that were piled with rubble and debris have become empty wastelands due mainly to bickering and disagreements between the central and local governments over rebuilding the devastated region. A year later, more than 260,000 people still live in temporary shelters. (Photo by Natsuki Sakai/AFLO) AYF -mis-.
{}