BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI IN FRONT OF SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING
I'm opening the tailgate.
-Are you okay? -We're fine.
It's the TOEPCO staff who need help.
Watch your step.
Sorry for the trouble.
Thank you.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING ENTRANCE
Someone give me a hand!
Survey meters, quick!
Security team, this is the survey area. We have several injured!
Requesting immediate medical assistance.
-Please hurry! -What's your status?
-Over here! -No good.
The dosimeter is going crazy. We can't get a number.
The contamination is too high to even diagnose the injured.
Black smoke is rising high and flames are visible.
Is the height of the smoke unique to the Unit 3 explosion?
-Mr. Vice President! -Yes?
I wrote up a report explaining the white smoke near Unit 3.
REGARDING THE APPEARANCE OF WHITE SMOKE ABOVE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI
What is this meant to inform people of?
An explosion at Unit 3…
Right? An explosion, right?
I guess you haven't seen the TV?
The entire nation has seen Unit 3 blown away, right on their screens.
And you're writing about "white smoke."
Follow me?
Are you that stupid?
I'm sorry. I'll rewrite it immediately.
SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING EMERGENCY OPERATION ROOM
Master Sergeant Hayami!
I'm truly glad to see you're alive.
It's nothing.
What about your men?
-Is everyone okay? -Yes. All of them.
What about your missing employees?
There were 40 staff members unaccounted for after the explosion.
I'm relieved to say that they were all found.
-Are you injured? -I'm fine.
More importantly,
the fire engine was hit by debris and is no longer operable.
The pump should still work,
so we're trying to maintain injection into Unit 2, but…
There's a problem with the SR valve.
Raise the pressure!
-More pressure! -More pressure!
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 2 WATER INLET
This is the limit!
The force of the blast closed the valve.
We're trying to reopen it with the car batteries of our staff but…
It's no use.
We can't get an accurate read of the spent fuel pool water level.
We're trying to check the temperature of the other reactor pools,
but it doesn't look good.
NUMBER OF SPENT FUEL ROD CLUSTERS: 10,921
Where are the spent fuel pools located?
The fifth floor of each reactor building.
-No getting up there, now… -No.
Unit 4 is even further back than Unit 3.
You'd have to climb over irradiated debris from the explosion.
And in the first place,
we don't even have a clear picture of the damage.
The Unit 2 primary containment vessel is at 680 kilopascals!
I repeat, 680 kilopascals!
It's risen nearly 100 kilopascals in the past hour!
One hundred kilopascals in the past hour?!
The containment vessel could burst at any moment.
Call out the pressure data received from onsite…
in ten-minute intervals.
Yes, sir.
Are you okay? Hang in there.
Team Leader, over here!
Does it hurt anywhere else?
I'm applying pressure.
Station Manager?
Oh, sorry.
Hurry and get the Unit 2 SR valve open.
I'd like to resume work on Units 3 and 4 too.
And then… have someone measure
the levels near Unit 3.
Of course I know it will be high!
But let's face it… we're short on time.
Regarding the Unit 3 explosion,
it was a hydrogen blast similar to Unit 1
and we believe the primary containment vessel is intact.
The consensus, among experts as well, is that the probability of a high volume
of highly radioactive material being dispersed is low.
Is there no chance of Unit 2 suffering the same hydrogen explosion?
In order to prevent that,
we must stabilize the reactor by urgently injecting salt water.
The staff on site are doing everything they can to make that happen.
DO YOU THINK THEY'RE TELLING THE TRUTH?
I'VE HEARD THE RADIATION IS ALREADY IN THE AIR.
OF COURSE IT IS.
BUT THEY SAID THE CHANCES ARE LOW.
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S BAD.
BETTER FLEE JAPAN SOON.
-WATCHING THE CONFERENCE… -JAPAN IS DOOMED.
Up next, a look at a rumor spreading on a popular message board
that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident
is actually the result of human error.
This is from the famous Harezo Channel message board.
There are many posts speculating about the two TOEPCO workers
who have been reported missing. Here's a sample…
-OH, THE TWO WHO FLED, RIGHT? -SO THEY REALLY DID RUN AWAY.
I SAW THEM OUT DRINKING IN KORIYAMA.
I HEARD THEY MESSED UP THE COOLING UNITS AND THEN RAN IN A PANIC.
SO THE EXPLOSIONS ARE THEIR FAULT?
SEARCHING FOR THE REAL TRUTH… CLACK, CLACK, CLACK
THESE ARE DEFINITELY THE TWO CULPRITS WHO ABANDONED THE NUCLEAR STATION.
THEY MAY BE WOLFING DOWN SASHIMI AND CHUGGING BEER SOMEWHERE,
BUT IF THEIR NAMES GET OUT, THEY'RE DEAD.
DO THEM A FAVOR AND KEEP IT QUIET, LOL
THEIR NAMES WERE ALREADY ON TV.
YUYA TAKAHIRA AND KOKI KIRIHARA
KOKI KIRIHARA
Typical message board stuff.
But putting aside the trustworthiness of the source,
if the explosions really were caused by humans,
I think that could be a major issue.
If you ask me, they should be hung.
Now that everyone's talking about it,
I'll bet the two of them are scared out of their minds.
Well, they deserve to be exposed!
Things are getting a bit heated in here. You may have a point, but…
-Am I wrong? -Mom?
If he abandoned his work and ran,
nothing would make me happier.
Can't you resume pumping water yet?
The SR valve is still closed.
Aren't you using automobile batteries to open the SR?
Try it again!
The batteries are all used up.
Pressure in the Unit 2 primary containment vessel
is now at 700 kilopascals. Water levels are immeasurable.
Seven hundred?
Yoshida, this is serious!
You'll have to perform a dry well vent.
The contamination will spread further, but that can't be helped now!
Begin a dry well vent now!
Just do it!
Don't worry about the consequences!
Listen.
We've just been through two explosions…
and staff morale is quite low.
In terms of radiation exposure too…
Everyone has reached their limit.
I understand, Yoshida, but we're talking about a containment vessel break!
Even if it's just the small valve, ventilate that vessel!
I've already given the order.
And then, if you open the small valve, there's one more, right?
You think I don't know that?!
We've been fighting this battle for over 80 hours!
I'm not over here hesitating
because I'm worried about what you or the government will think!
It's my staff!
The SDF! Our partner companies!
We're all doing everything we can!
So get out of our damn way.
EPISODE 7
Team Leader!
The bus for staff that have exceeded their dose limit has arrived.
-How many are on board? -Twenty people.
-There's no room, is there? -No, even the hallways are full.
Just make some space for them.
-Understood. -Please.
Careful out there.
-Isn't water getting in, then? -We measured with the fire engine's gauge.
So why isn't the pressure dropping?
How should I know?
To be honest, the radiation levels are extremely high.
Understood.
Your employees will be evacuated to this building.
Not at all. Please don't blame yourselves.
Right.
Station Manager!
There's a salt-water build up in the basement of the Unit 4 turbine building.
Couldn't we move it to the backwash valve pit
and use it to cool the reactors?
Okay!
Let's try everything.
We'll move the fire engines in front of Units 5 and 6.
Then we'll clear the debris and create a path.
At the same time, gather some manpower
and break open the door to the Unit 4 loading dock.
We'll push the fire engines in there!
-Yes, sir! -Right!
-Let's go! -You got it.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI IN FRONT OF UNIT 4 TURBINE BUILDING
No good!
-Egawa! -Yes?
-Lower it from here! -Yes, sir.
How are the radiation levels?
-Still okay. -Ready? Lower it!
Right!
It's unloaded!
Kurokawa? Kurokawa!
-Yeah? -Is it working?
The water level is too low!
-We can't stretch it? -This is the only bit of usable hose left.
All others were destroyed.
-How much longer? -Still checking!
TOEPCO KOKI KIRIHARA
Are you sure?
The ID cards
on their suits weren't washed away.
But that's…
Just after the earthquake,
they left to inspect Unit 4 and have been missing since.
There's no doubt
it's the bodies of Takahira and Kirihara.
They were underground when the tsunami struck.
Can we recover the bodies?
The water is too highly irradiated to wade into.
We're looking for other methods.
Takahira and Kirihara…
They're in their twenties, right?
Takahira was 24…
Kirihara was 21.
Mr. Yoshida!
Maejima from the Unit 1 and 2 control room is calling!
What is it?
Unit 2's fuel rods are all exposed.
What about the pressure?
Now at 750 kilopascals.
How many large buses can you arrange?
There are two on the station grounds
and the Offsite Center should be able to send one.
That may be the next step.
While maintaining calm,
tell everyone to prepare.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI EMERGENCY OPERATION ROOM
What's wrong?
Something you can't say in video conference?
Yes.
Out with it.
Please decide the conditions for an evacuation.
"Evacuation"?!
Of course, I'll stay here
and to continue injecting water,
we'll leave a bare minimum of operators.
In return,
I'd like the staff
responsible for surveying, meals, equipment procurement and the like…
to be allowed to leave.
In particular, partner company employees and our junior staff
should be evacuated immediately.
It's that bad?
Please give it some thought.
To be honest,
the fate of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station…
is up in the air.
We're doing everything we can,
but all our efforts
have been thwarted as the reactors lose control.
If we can't calm things down,
the scale of the disaster
will be ten times worse than Chernobyl.
Everyone here will be killed.
I can't tell the staff
that they have to die simply because they're TOEPCO employees.
But as the person responsible, I will remain to the end.
I'm sure other long-serving team members…
will do the same.
They and I…
will continue trying to cool the reactors
until the moment they explode.
That is why
I'm asking you
to allow the others to leave.
Where were we?
Mr. Kinoshita…
You were explaining the buses.
Oh, sorry.
As I was saying, a bus will arrive in front of the seismic isolated building.
Depending on the situation, you may be asked to leave.
If you do, please head to Fukushima Daini Power Station.
Understood.
-Okay, then. If you could… -Yes.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI UNITS 1-6 CONTROL ROOM OPERATOR ROSTER
TOSHIO KAMEI ISAMU KINOSHITA
RYO SHIROTA KOJI FURUYA, TOMIO SEKIGUCHI
SHINJI MAEJIMA AKIRA SHINKAWA
TAKENORI MIYOSHI TOSHIHIRO OSUGI, AKIHIKO KOYATANI
SHINSUKE AIDA HIROFUMI TSUDA, TOMONOBU KIMURA
KOZO HARAYAMA SATOSHI TATENO
TAKUMI YONEDA HIROSHI FUTAGAWA, SEIJI TODOROKI
SHINGO TODA WATARU NOZAKI, KENJI MAKUTA
I'm sorry, guys…
I need you to join me in death.
Prime Minister! It's an emergency!
-What is it? -It's from Nishimura of TOEPCO…
We've received a request to abandon the station.
President Nishimura is here.
You can't abandon the station!
We're not thinking of abandoning it.
What does that mean?
You're not asking to evacuate?
No, on behalf of the station staff,
I merely asked you to allow
some people to leave.
So then it's not a total evacuation?
Of course not.
We would never think of such a thing.
Which means, Prime Minister, that they will continue their work…
Then say that from the beginning!
Yes, sir. I apologize.
Never mind.
That's what this joint operation is for.
Kataoka!
Are we clear? Keep the Prime Minister calm.
That's your mission.
Yes, sir.
SPECIAL DISASTER RESPONSE UNIT
Please come inside.
Excuse us. Let us through.
Please watch your step.
It's the Prime Minister.
You're right.
This way, please.
Look.
Right this way.
Please be seated in the center.
Please.
Whenever you're ready.
I know that everyone here is aware of the situation
at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
Until now, we have followed the law
and run a crisis management center on government premises,
but we have not communicated effectively.
To conduct a proper disaster response,
I am opening a joint government operation with TOEPCO here at TOEPCO headquarters.
I will be Chief of Operation.
The Deputy Chiefs will be Minister Ushiroya and President Nishimura.
This situation is critical.
At this rate, it could threaten all of Japan.
You will not abandon this station!
Defend it with your life!
We've been doing that for days now.
If you evacuate, TOEPCO has a 100% chance of bankruptcy.
There is nowhere to run!
Information from TOEPCO has been imprecise or just plain wrong.
The hydrogen explosion at Unit 1,
despite being broadcast on television,
was not reported to the government for a whole hour!
More than just the task at hand,
prepare for whatever may come next.
You executives, 60 and up…
should be ready to die onsite. That goes for me too!
The President and Chairman should show the same resolve!
If I may…
All hands, return to your posts
and resume work.
-Yes, sir. -Right.
-I'm going to change the gauge battery! -Please do.
-It's connected! -Roger!
It's about time for our regular data update.
Yes. We can only hope it's started to drop.
Take cover!
-All hands, take cover! -Take cover!
-Radiation reading! -Check the radiation!
Are you okay? Are you injured?
Maejima!
Explosion reported!
The call is from the control room for Units 1 and 2!
-What explosion? -At 6:14 a.m…
We heard the sound of an explosion and the suppression chamber pressure
dropped to zero.
There's a hole in the suppression chamber?
I can't say,
only that pressure has dropped and the radiation level has increased.
-Check the parameters! -Yes, sir!
The control room for Units 3 and 4 also reports a concussive sound!
An explosion?
Hurry and check the levels!
If there's a hole in the suppression chamber, radiation levels will skyrocket!
Please!
HQ! HQ!
Can you hear me?
I'd like to pull staff back from the front!
Do you approve?
Leave men to pump the water.
All other staff, evacuate.
Approved.
Attention all station personnel!
Everyone except for a minimum number of men who will remain from each team…
Evacuate!
Those to remain
will be selected by the leader
of each team!
All of you
who are not directly involved
in the efforts to control the situation
are free to go!
For everything
that you've done,
thank you very much!
Come on! More! Okay, stop!
Take your time, please.
There's no need to rush.
Please go all the way back!
This way for those boarding the bus from the Seismic Isolated Building!
Take care! It's still dangerous out there!
-Please keep the line moving! -Be careful!
I'll be fine.
-Good work. -Thank you.
-Once things calm down, let's get drinks. -Sure…
We're counting on you.
Huh? Where's Nozaki?
Nozaki isn't here.
Nozaki!
Hey, Nozaki. Where are you?
What do you think you're doing?
You heard the order to evacuate.
Get out of here.
No, I want to stay.
That was an order.
No!
Quit being a blockhead.
Leave this
to old-timers like us.
You youngsters should scram!
We'll need your strength
to fight the long battle for recovery
that lies ahead.
We're counting on you.
Yes, sir!
Good.
Please watch your step!
Forgive us for leaving you behind.
Get moving.
You've kept your wife worrying.
She's probably pissed.
If, by any chance, we don't make it…
then it's up to you.
Watch your step.
Please keep moving!
Please move to the back of the bus in a timely manner.
Thank you for your hard work.
-Good work, everyone. -Thank you!
I'm so sorry.
Have faith, will you? Don't make that face at me!
Get in!
-Thank you for your hard work! -Thank you.
Please proceed to the buses in front of the seismic isolation building!
-Thank you. -No need to rush!
Please be careful!
Excuse me, there's one thing I'd like to do before we resume.
Please allow me to contact my family.
Sure.
Sorry, but please let me send word
to my family.
Of course.
TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS. YOU'VE MADE ME A HAPPY MAN. THANK YOU.
FROM AKIKO, NO SUBJECT
DON'T BE RIDICULOUS. YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT HOME.
KAZUKI, I HAVE TO STAY BEHIND. TAKE CARE OF GRAMPS AND YOUR FEISTY MOM.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, POP? IF YOU DIE, YOU'LL ANSWER TO ME.
WE'RE GOING OUT FOR A DRINK AGAIN.
Let's switch.
Great work.
Sure.
I'm hungry!
Anyone up for a bite?
Hey! I found some rice crackers!
Oh, nice!
I wonder if there's anything else.
There should be more over here.
-Over here too! -And here.
Come on. Let's hand these out.
Say, do you think these are contaminated?
Does it matter now?
There's water too!
Here's some water.
Thank you!
You mean they let you stay?
Back at ya.
Oh, that's right. You two joined the company at the same time, huh?
Yes. We haven't met in a while though.
-Here. -Oh, thanks.
Take whatever you like.
Those of us
who remained aren't here to die.
We're here to do a job.
We're going to get those reactors under control.
And then,
all together…
we're going home to our families.
UNITS 1, 2 CONTROL ROOM HOT LINE
Subtitle translation by: Brad Plumb