The Great Tohoku Quake; 2 years on

Two years ago today at 14:46, the images above were burned into the minds of people all over the world, especially the people of Japan where a magnitude 9 earthquake shook the country to it`s very core.

It was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded and the strongest in Japanese history. It was 1,400 times stronger than the Kobe quake of 1995 and triggered devastating tsunami, with waves reaching 18 metres in height. 90% of the 18,000 lost or dead were victims of the tsunami. It also triggered the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant, causing radiation to be released into the environment and mass evacuations.

It is a period I and many others, will never forget. The collective experience of those who lived through those days is something that has become a vital part of this nation and of me.

This gallery from NASA shows the scale of the damage suffered as towns such as Rikuzentakata and Miyako were wiped away.

On Monday, newly elected Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe said "Japan will never experience a true spring if spring does not come to north-eastern Japan. I promise never to forget the weight of each day and promise to speed up the reconstruction of the region.".

Let us hope he is right.