Anti-nuclear demonstrations were held in Japan Sunday to mark six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, triggering the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Some 20,000 people are dead or missing. More than 800,000 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. Some 400,000 people were displaced. Concerns continue about radiation in the soil, food supply and sea. At a protest Sunday, four young men declared the start of a 10-day hunger strike to bring about change in Japan’s nuclear policy.

Naoya Okamoto, Japanese hunger strike protester: “I believe it is very important that the young generation voice their opposition against nuclear power. And in order to bring our point across, we need to put ourselves on the line, and that’s why we chose to carry out a hunger strike for 10 days.”