Across the country, people observed a moment of complete silence at 2:56 p.m., the exact time when the earth shook a year ago. Led by Japan's Emperor Akihito, millions of citizens paused and prayed for the victims of the tragic incident, which brought great destruction to the nation. 　　Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was also present at the main memorial ceremony held at Tokyo's National Theatre. 　　Other memorial services took place throughout the devastated areas. In Iwaki city, candles of wishes were placed in position by hundreds of residents to remember the victims who lost their lives during the devastating event on March 11, 2011. 　　The ceremony is 18 miles from the Fukushima nuclear plant, which melted down and spewed radiation throughout Japan. The lights of "Pray 3-11" or in other words, March 11th, spell out the hopes of the people: an end to the nuclear crisis. 　　The magnitude-9 earthquake struck northeast Japan at 2:46 p.m. on March 11 last year, triggering a violent tsunami that reached as high as 39 meters at one point, and crippling the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant to become the world's most costly natural disaster. More than 3,000 people are still unaccounted and over 340,000 residents are still living in temporary homes.