Two students have graduated from a school in a town on the Noto Peninsula that was heavily affected by the powerful New Year's Day earthquake.

Many people attended Tuesday's graduation ceremony at the integrated elementary and junior high school in Ohtani Town, in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Attendees included students who have evacuated and are studying at other schools and local residents who have been staying in the school's gymnasium since the disaster.

The school's principal, Ueda Tatsumi, told the two graduates that even though their hometown has become a painful sight they must remember it is a beautiful place where they grew up.

The graduates, Nakajima Raiki and Maeyama Hina, said they had been worried about what was going to happen after their homes were destroyed and their everyday lives were taken away.

They said they were saved by the memories of playing with friends. They asked not to be forgotten, even if they become far apart, and pledged to meet again.

School officials say many families have temporarily abandoned plans to return home and are living in Kanazawa City and elsewhere. They say they expect the number of students to continue to shrink.