AKIPRESS.COM - Japan is marking the fifth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that left more than 18,000 dead or missing.

PM Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito are attending a memorial in Tokyo, and joined a moment of silence nationwide at the exact moment the quake hit, reports BBC.

The magnitude-9.0 quake struck offshore creating a vast water surge that devastated the north-east coast.

It also triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Water inundated the plant, taking cooling systems offline which set off a series of meltdowns.

The subsequent disaster spewed radiation over a wide area and forced the evacuation of more than 160,000 local people.

Five years on, most have not been able to return to their homes, despite extensive decontamination work.

The tragedy is also being marked by anti-nuclear protests with many Japanese left with a lingering distrust of nuclear power.