Episodes
1. Fukushima: Downwind From Disaster
January 1, 2013
50 min
Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear catastrophe. This is a record of people in that one town caught up in the triple disaster. Threatened by the unseen forces of radiation, what did the residents do? What was their state of mind? "Why should we evacuate, why do we have to flee?" Toshikazu Owada, Minamisoma City Official: They came in from the lobby over there. Self Defense Force personnel. Running and shouting, "The nuclear plant will explode. Evacuate to at least 100 kilometers." They were shouting in loud voices and rushing all around. Outside a steady stream of Self Defense Force vehicles was already heading out of town. Seeing them evacuate made me realize this was serious.
2. The Sea of Zipangu - Deep Sea Gold Rush!
January 19, 2013
50 min
Japan might soon experience its own gold rush! Scientists are hoping to tap the vast deposits of gold, silver, copper, and other rare metals found in oceanic plate boundaries. State-of-the-art Japanese technology is being employed to locate and extract metals from these deposits, which are produced by the dynamic forces at work inside our planet. Japan was once referred to as "Zipangu" by Marco Polo, a land fabled for its gold. With all of the new gold deposits being discovered in Japanese waters, Zipangu might not be a myth after all.
6. Meltdown: Oversights in the Reactor Cooling System
April 23, 2013
50 min
Successive meltdowns of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant resulted in significant nuclear contamination. How did the disaster unfold? NHK interviewed more than 400 people and conducted simulations based on volumes of data. Our independent investigation sheds new light on the accident 2 years after it occurred.
