How long approx will it take japan to get back to normal after the terrible tsunami?

Question:

I just wondered how long it would take (approx.) because it will take a long time to clear up all the rubble etc.
It was a horrible tsunami, I hope it never happens again. I really feel sorry for all the people that live there.

Thanks for you answers.

Answer:

I read a very good article in the New Yorker about the reconstruction of Japan. It might not take as long as the doomsayers are thinking. The article said the most important thing is the ingenuity of the people, and the productivity of the country. And it pointed to the reconstruction of Kobe after their very destructive earthquake as proof. I think it said that Kobe was operating at 97 percent of what it was before their earthquake in a year.

It depends on a lot of things. The psychological damage from the radiation, and the distrust of certain prefecture's agricultural products may slow things down in those regions. Also, the economy has been crap . . . so, this could be a huge stimulus, or it might be the million tons of bricks that broke the camel's back.

But I'm betting on Japan. I think in two years, the country will be functioning on near-normal levels again as a whole, and most of the clean-up will be done.