NHK to broadcast documentary series for 9 days to mark 1st anniversary of March 11 disaster
What really happened on March 11? How have the lives of the victims changed since the tragedy? What are their futures? NHK is to broadcast a “NHK Special” documentary series on NHK General TV for nine days beginning on March 3 to mark the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. It will use the extensive footage and stories it has gathered since the disaster in the search for answers and to look toward a more optimistic future. The lineup is as follows: ◆3rd March (Sat) “FUKUSHIMA - Witnesses to a Nuclear Disaster” The interim report into the Fukushima nuclear disaster by a government-commissioned panel spared neither Tokyo Electric Power Company nor the Japanese government from blame. The program will investigate the causes of the accident and the failures that contributed to the worst nuclear accident in 25 years through the accounts of government officials, TEPCO workers and local residents. ◆4th March (Sun) “The Great East Japan Earthquake – A Chronicle “ This program will use footage taken on March 11 from across Japan to analyze the triggers of the huge earthquake and the powerful tsunami that followed. It will also examine what might have been done to reduce the number of lives that were lost. ◆5th March (Mon) “Minamisoma - Living on the frontline of a nuclear disaster” Southern side of the community of Minamisoma lies within the 20-km evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, but the government has decided that residents of other parts of the town can return to their homes. As residents ask themselves whether they should leave or stay, the program examines the wavering emotions of people living on the frontline of the disaster. ◆6th March (Tue) “The 38 minutes - Testament of a Mega-Tsunami” An NHK reporter based in Kamaishi filmed the tsunami as it engulfed the seaside town over a period of 38 minutes. The program follows the 174 survivors captured in that footage, gathering witnesses’ accounts of moments that decided life and death as well as their subsequent experiences, making it an unparalleled account of the mega-tsunami. ◆7th March (Wed) “Winter in Otsuchi – Life on the Edge” The town of Otsuchi lost 1,400 of its residents in the disaster. Those whose homes were destroyed are enduring the bitter winter of Iwate in modest temporary housing. Life is tough. Many are taken ill and others suffer from depression, with some losing all hope for the future. Through the activities of volunteers, the program records the new crisis that threatens Otsuchi. ◆8th March (Thurs) Program on Nuclear Crisis (Title to be confirmed) ◆9th March (Fri) “ Never Give Up - Revival of Kesennuma’s High Street” The high street in the seaside town of Kesennuma, which was devastated by the powerful tsunami, is still partly under water where the land subsided. Reconstruction seemed a forlorn hope, but determined local residents have rallied. The program follows the struggles of local shopkeepers in the run-up to the day they reopened their shops in a temporary housing area. ◆10th March (Sat) “Battle of a Beleaguered City Hall – Minamisanriku’s long road to recovery” Reconstruction is a difficult business; finding the right place for a relocated community, creating employment, helping the elderly and rehabilitating children who have been traumatized. The program follows the disaster-stricken area for a year and considers the challenges facing the town of Miamisanriku. ◆11th March (Sun) “Live Broadcast From Tohoku - On the Night of that very Day” Just hours after the devastation of the afternoon of March 11, the stars shone in the sky, recall survivors of the earthquake. By sharing the victims’ experiences at the same locations they stood on that very day, the program aims to convey their thoughts and emotions, connecting them with viewers throughout Japan.
