Japan tsunami recovery: Then and now Pictures This combination of pictures shows people walking on a road covered with vehicles and debris in a tsunami-hit area of Tagajo, Miyagi prefecture on March 13, 2011 (left) and the same area on Jan. 12, 2012 (right). March 11, 2012 marks the first anniversary of the massive tsunami that pummeled Japan, claiming more than 19,000 lives.