Japan quake: Images of then and now

One year ago, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck off the coast of north-east Japan. Thousands of people lost their lives and many more were injured as torrents of water swept through coastal cities, towns and villages.

Twelve months on, the Japanese people are making progress in repairing the damage to their country and rebuilding their lives. Scroll through the 10 images below, dragging the slider at the top of each one to see to see how some of the worst affected areas looked at the time of the quake and how they have recovered.

The enhanced functionality requires Javascript to be enable on your browser After the quake



Now Several waves engulfed the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, killing hundreds. By January, much debris had been cleared. Pictures: AFP/Getty