Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown

PBS | Air Date: February 28, 2012

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derekqJun 8, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Most everyone has heard of the nuclear accident that occurred at Chernobyl in Pripyat, Ukraine, or perhaps some Americans may have heard of the Three Mile Island accident, the most significant nuclear accident to have happened in the United States occurred just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The unfortunate event at Three Mile Island was a Level 5 accident on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), while Chernobyl was rated a Level 7. Despite Level 7 corresponding to the highest-level accident, a different accident claims the spot of the most devastating accident, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, occurring at a Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) plant. This film reveals behind the scenes footage and stories of crisis workers and follows up discussing the aftermath and its effects on many of the people who put their lives on the line to try and mitigate the damage.
“Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown” opens with scenes from March 11, 2011, the first day of this disaster. Prior to this horrific day, there had been several smaller earthquakes, but none large enough to cause any worry regarding the nuclear plant. Then, around 2:46pm, the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan since records began. A factory worker recalls that during this quake, he saw “all the pipes fixed to wall shifting and ripping off”, eventually shutting off the plant’s main power supply. This personal account quickly set a serious, almost ominous tone for the film. At this point, workers believed they were safe knowing that the plant was designed to withstand earthquakes, with backup power supplies that quickly turned on. It was not the earthquake that proved to be disastrous, but what followed: “the tsunami will follow the earthquake”. Unfortunately, the nuclear plants tsunami defense system was far from adequate. In fact, the company was warned of this by the government two years before in 2009 but had not yet finished reviewing its tsunami defenses. This naturally made the film tend in a direction towards an investigative documentary. In the end, the accident was contained and a full nuclear meltdown was prevented. However, the radiation contaminated hundreds of square miles of Japan, displacing hundreds of thousands of people, leaving nearby districts will not be habitable for decades. In the aftermath, TEPCO was required to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages. Furthermore, whether the blame is just, the Prime Minister resigned over Japan’s dissatisfaction with the handling of the disaster. Much of the success of this film was because it shows the aftermath of disaster that is usually unseen to the public both through footage and taking worker accounts. Even now, many workers who participated in this film requested anonymity. These worker accounts help provide context to the mindset of the country at this time, which proves to be very insightful. For instance, it is easy to assign blame to TEPCO since they were warned ahead of time that their tsunami defence is inadequate. However, the film does not simply assign blame and then move onto the next point; rather, the film then shows worker accounts indicating that there was a general consensus of trust around the implemented defences. The seemingly smaller bias makes the film much more enjoyable and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusion. This film is becoming increasingly important as the discussion surrounding clean energy grows. The world is running out of time to stop climate change, and finding a clean energy source can greatly impact this. While many people know that nuclear energy is “clean” and “zero emissions” and focus on the “pros”, it is important for both the supporters and detractors of this technology to be educated of potential dangers. This education about nuclear energy is important, because in democracy without an educated population, the right choices may not be made. It is not enough to be prepared for what probably will happen, but to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Furthermore, this can be applied to other scenarios (cough cough COVID-19); thus, this very interesting film is a must for those who believe that the worst will never happen. Having shown many stories of both pain and overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles, this film takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, albeit a very educational and important one.… Expand

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