Japan marks tsunami, nuclear tragedy eight years on Japan marks the eighth anniversary of a crippling earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated its northeastern coast and left some 18,500 people dead or missing. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, lawmakers and family members who lost their loved ones in the disaster bow their heads in prayer at a ceremony in Tokyo at 2:46 pm (0546 GMT) -- the exact moment the magnitude-9.0 quake struck. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITE