TOKYO — What do an empty fishing boat, a Harley-Davidson and a soccer ball have in common? For residents of the West Coast of the US and Canada, they are all reminders of the devastation unleashed on the other side of the Pacific Ocean by last year's Japanese tsunami.

TOKYO, Japan — It is shortly after 11 a.m. on March 14, 2011. A voice from the Tokyo headquarters of Tepco warns employees at the Fukushima nuclear power plant that a tsunami advisory has been issued following an earthquake — just three days after the magnitude-9.0 quake that had triggered the worst nuclear power crisis in Japan's history. After a short silence, Fukushima Daiichi's emergency command center is seen shaking violently. The next voice belongs to the plant's manager: "Headquarters. Headquarters," he shouts.  "This is serious. This is serious. I think we've had another hydrogen blast. It seems like there's just been an explosion."

FUKUSHIMA — Of all the stories of despair and hope to emerge from northeast Japan, the fate of the tens of thousands of people living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has resonated most.