A total of 10,000 fireworks lit up the night sky in Futaba City, Fukushima Prefecture, welcoming the reconstruction of the city devastated by the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident.
The evacuation order issued after the disaster is still in effect in many parts of Futaba, one of the towns where the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is located.
On Saturday, 10,000 fireworks were shot into the night sky. Around 4,500 people attended the show.
The event was organized by a Fukushima pyrotechnics association and local residents.
Messages from Futaba residents were read while fireworks were set off in bursts.
Among them, some were provided by pyrotechnicians from the Noto region, in Ishikawa department, hit this year by an earthquake and torrential rains.
Spectators enjoyed the colorful fireworks display and wished for the rebuilding of their communities.
A woman in her thirties came with her family from Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. She said she was impressed by the spectacle and expressed hope that reconstruction efforts will move forward.
Takakura Isuke, a district official in Futaba, said he was deeply moved. The fireworks reminded him of the missing people in the area and the difficulties residents went through after the disaster.
He said he hopes the event energizes the city as it strives for a full recovery.
