http://www.documentingreality.com/fo...-2011-a-77259/ Eight months on from the earthquake and tsunami that laid waste to almost 600km (373 miles) of Japan's north-east coastline, much of the rubble has been cleared in towns like Minamisanriku, where more than 1,350 people were reported as missing or dead.
It is estimated that there are 23 million tons of debris, and while most of it has been removed from town centres, the government expects it to take more than two years to dispose of it completely.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government plans to spend at least 18tn yen (£148bn) over the next five years to fund the reconstruction. So far, the government has built more than 50,000 temporary houses.
