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Downloaded from
YTS.BZ
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.BZ
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One of the biggest earthquakes
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ever recorded has hit Japan.
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It triggered a tsunami
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that coursed
several miles inland,
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washing away everything
in its path.
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00:01:48,233 --> 00:01:50,193
The situation there is...
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00:01:50,277 --> 00:01:52,154
is nothing less
than apocalyptic.
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But the big concern continues
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00:01:54,072 --> 00:01:55,449
to be that nuclear power plant,
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the Fukushima Daiichi,
uh, nuclear plant...
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00:02:21,224 --> 00:02:23,310
There's been
another major explosion
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at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
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Only 50 brave employees
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are still at the plant,
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trying to stave off
a total meltdown.
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They are risking their lives
to avoid this meltdown
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that could be historic
and terrible
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for the whole country.
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00:03:16,988 --> 00:03:19,116
At 8:15,
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a weather plane reports
from Hiroshima
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that conditions are good.
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At 9:15, the bomb is dropped.
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On the
first day of November 1955,
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the United States Atoms
for Peace exhibition
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opened in Hibiya Park, Tokyo.
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America's ambassador to Japan,
John M. Allison,
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conveyed a message
from President Eisenhower.
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That the exhibit stands
as a symbol
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of our countries'
mutual determination
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that the great power
of the atom shall be dedicated
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to the arts of peace.
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A message
from Prime Minister Hatoyama
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praised the greatness
of atomic science
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in the present century.
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Here at the nuclear power plant,
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highly trained professionals
work hard to protect safety.
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Knowing the dangers,
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that's where
operator education starts.
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Twenty-four hours a day,
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we generate, deliver,
and protect.
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Safety is our first priority.
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We are TEPCO.
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I've been assembling things
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since I was a kid, you know?
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If a package would come
or a box would come,
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my dad would always say,
"Let Carl put it together."
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And the first thing I'd do is
bust out the instruction sheet
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and get right to the parts list,
and lay out the parts,
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making sure there was 24 nuts
and 24 bolts.
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I was just very particular.
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I just... It's just
a natural-born way, uh...
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way for me,
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and I've been working
in nuclear power now,
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just over 40 years,
all over the globe.
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The US, Spain, Switzerland,
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Sweden, Taiwan, Japan.
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Loved working in Japan, too.
I just loved it.
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It was a beautiful day.
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March. You'd think March 11th
in Japan might be cold,
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but it was sunny,
beautiful, clear.
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Oh, my God! This is weird.
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I've never experienced
the ground shaking like this.
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I was in Unit 1
on the turbine building.
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The sounds coming off
the structural steel...
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like those old Japanese movies
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where Godzilla was doing
that squeaky metal sound,
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like that-that screech
he would make.
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That's what it sounded like
to me, you know.
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And I know I felt
the whole building shift
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east and down.
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Not inches.
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It was in... it was...
It was in feet.
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I got out
of the building
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and I watched
the tsunami come in.
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Water got higher and higher
as it went over the seawall.
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You would think it's loud
but it's not.
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It only started to make noise
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when it started
to snap and crack,
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and break things off
when it hit land.
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I didn't think about the plants
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till I watched it rush
around them.
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I watched it just rush
around the four buildings,
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off the highlands behind me,
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like these big black
ominous clouds
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came rolling in real low.
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00:19:23,996 --> 00:19:26,290
Almost felt like it pulled
the atmosphere down on us,
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and began to snow even.
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It felt like
the end of the world.
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One of the
most powerful earthquakes
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ever recorded has struck Japan.
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The terrible devastation
in northeastern Japan.
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The destruction there,
simply epic.
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The death toll mounting,
exact numbers unknown.
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Local television
has shown shocking pictures
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of entire towns being swept away
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by a wall of water
kilometers wide
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as people run for their lives.
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Fears that the eventual toll
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could be
in the tens of thousands.
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The tsunami waves
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that followed moved so quickly,
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at a speed
of 800 kilometers an hour,
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that they proved to be
an unstoppable
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and devastating force.
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00:22:02,613 --> 00:22:03,823
I was working as a journalist
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00:22:03,948 --> 00:22:04,949
for the New York Times.
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I was based in Tokyo
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where I'd been living
for eight years.
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After the earthquake struck,
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we had decided to head north
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to where the tsunami caused
most damage.
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It was like entering hell.
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The tsunami
had basically ripped away
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everything that was there.
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So if you can imagine
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just like a... a field,
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like a plane,
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uh, from the surface
of the moon.
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Dark grey mud
covering everything.
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An occasional piece
of a home, or building,
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or even an occasional home
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that had somehow
randomly survived.
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Uh, big pools of water,
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things were on fire,
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and mounds of debris.
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You know, pieces of buildings,
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and fishing boats,
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and crushed buses,
and mangled cars.
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Uh, there were dead animals,
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dead pets,
and of course dead people.
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No one survives that tsunami.
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You either get out of the way
or you're dead.
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Kan and the
Democratic Party of Japan
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were a very inexperienced
government.
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This was their first time
in office since 1955.
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And they now had to deal with
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an extremely challenging set
of circumstances.
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The country
was in complete chaos.
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Thousands of people
are missing,
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and they have
this developing situation
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at Fukushima
that had the potential
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00:24:57,496 --> 00:25:00,124
to be many, many times worse
than Chernobyl.
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00:25:01,250 --> 00:25:03,502
That disaster
involved one reactor.
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Fukushima involved six.
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Japan now telling
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00:25:11,135 --> 00:25:13,554
the UN nuclear watchdog,
the IAEA,
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00:25:13,637 --> 00:25:15,639
that they have
a heightened state of alert
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00:25:15,764 --> 00:25:18,142
that has been declared
at their nuclear power plant.
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00:25:18,267 --> 00:25:21,395
This is the Fukushima,
uh, nuclear power plant.
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Radiation levels are up,
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according to
the Kyodo News Agency,
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eight times the normal level
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00:25:27,151 --> 00:25:29,695
at a monitoring station
outside the plant,
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1,000 times above normal
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in a control room
inside the plant.
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The worst case scenario
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would be a cataclysmic meltdown
of the reactors
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called a China Syndrome.
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00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:53,469
And what that refers to is
the... something like 100 tons
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of uranium fuel
is inside the reactor.
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It melts out of control.
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It melts down,
which means it collapses
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to the bottom of the vessel,
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00:26:04,021 --> 00:26:07,399
like a... just a lump
of like lava almost.
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If you can't cool it,
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which they can't
because there's no electricity
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to pump water into the reactor,
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it rises to a temperature
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of something like
2,000 degrees.
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It burns
through the vessel itself.
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It'll melt through the vessel,
drop into the building,
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almost like bore its way
through the concrete
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'cause of the heat,
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it escapes into the earth
and is out of control.
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00:26:34,927 --> 00:26:36,720
And if that were to happen,
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experts talked about the loss
of northern Japan.
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00:26:42,392 --> 00:26:45,896
The entire northern half
of Honshu becomes uninhabitable
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00:26:46,021 --> 00:26:47,981
if this thing
gets out of control.
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00:27:54,631 --> 00:27:58,302
I watched four TEPCO guys
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pulling on a van or something,
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00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:02,639
and they got out,
and they all walked towards me
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00:28:02,764 --> 00:28:04,725
'cause I was right
at the top of the stairs.
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00:28:05,184 --> 00:28:06,768
And they all walked down
that stairs,
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00:28:06,852 --> 00:28:08,812
they were all
in their TEPCO uniforms,
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00:28:08,937 --> 00:28:11,148
and they were all
about 35 years old, I'd say.
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00:28:11,273 --> 00:28:13,567
Like, they were all, like,
in their mid-30s.
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00:28:14,318 --> 00:28:16,570
We just all made eye contact
as they went by.
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They went down that stairs,
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and they were probably part
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of the operations group
or whatever.
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00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:24,077
And I remember those four guys
going down,
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00:28:24,161 --> 00:28:28,582
probably had to stay
and work that mess they had.
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00:28:28,665 --> 00:28:31,501
When we parted ways
and I went up that hill,
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00:28:32,502 --> 00:28:33,962
uh, to get to my rental car,
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00:28:34,046 --> 00:28:36,298
you know, I didn't know
they were gonna be headed
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00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:38,175
for a meltdown
in less than 24 hours.
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00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:39,885
I didn't know at that time
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00:28:40,010 --> 00:28:41,553
how bad things were gonna get.
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00:31:03,820 --> 00:31:06,490
This could be
a catastrophe in the making,
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00:31:06,615 --> 00:31:09,159
Japan's nuclear power plants.
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00:31:09,284 --> 00:31:11,620
Officials say cooling systems
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00:31:11,703 --> 00:31:14,039
in some reactors have failed
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00:31:14,164 --> 00:31:16,833
and some radiation has leaked.
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00:31:17,334 --> 00:31:20,837
The next 24 hours
are considered crucial.
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00:31:21,505 --> 00:31:22,589
What's meant to happen
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00:31:22,672 --> 00:31:25,258
inside a nuclear
power station is this.
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00:31:25,342 --> 00:31:28,053
In the reactor,
the rods of nuclear fuel
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00:31:28,178 --> 00:31:29,721
go through
the process of fission.
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00:31:29,846 --> 00:31:32,391
The atoms splitting
and releasing energy.
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00:31:32,849 --> 00:31:36,019
Water is pumped in
and flows around the fuel
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00:31:36,144 --> 00:31:38,313
where it heats up
and turns into steam.
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00:31:38,397 --> 00:31:41,733
That drives generators
to make electricity.
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00:31:41,858 --> 00:31:45,278
But if a reactor runs dry,
as one did today,
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00:31:45,362 --> 00:31:47,864
the fuel rods overheat and melt.
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00:31:47,989 --> 00:31:51,326
And that may have started
in three reactors.
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00:31:51,410 --> 00:31:54,413
The nuclear fuel could then sink
to the bottom of the reactor,
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00:31:54,538 --> 00:31:56,832
the beginning
of what's known as meltdown.
220
00:31:56,915 --> 00:32:00,836
But provided the steel wall
of the container does its job,
221
00:32:00,919 --> 00:32:03,422
there shouldn't be a leak.
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00:32:03,547 --> 00:32:05,590
This was my first experience
223
00:32:05,715 --> 00:32:07,926
of a severe accident
of this sort.
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00:32:08,885 --> 00:32:10,679
I would not hide anything.
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00:32:10,762 --> 00:32:12,389
But as Prime Minister,
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00:32:12,514 --> 00:32:16,476
I would also not say anything
I could not be certain of.
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00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:18,103
That was my policy.
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00:32:19,062 --> 00:32:22,232
I told the special advisor
I would go to Fukushima.
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00:32:22,732 --> 00:32:24,568
"Please make preparations."
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00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:36,955
I was joined
by the Chairman
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00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,249
of the Nuclear
Safety Commission.
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00:32:39,749 --> 00:32:42,502
I clearly recall asking,
233
00:32:42,586 --> 00:32:45,046
"Is there any danger
of an explosion?"
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00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:48,425
To which the Chairman
answered with conviction,
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00:32:48,550 --> 00:32:51,428
"An explosion is out
of the question."
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00:36:59,884 --> 00:37:02,262
We arrived in a war zone.
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00:37:02,345 --> 00:37:04,431
The hallway
was full of workers,
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00:37:04,514 --> 00:37:07,350
several of whom
were lying on the floor.
239
00:37:07,475 --> 00:37:09,853
Some were wrapped in blankets.
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00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:13,148
In the conference room,
they explained,
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00:37:13,231 --> 00:37:16,609
"We are considering
whether to vent manually.
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00:37:16,693 --> 00:37:18,987
We will decide
in the next hour."
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00:37:19,487 --> 00:37:22,615
I said,
"We couldn't wait that long."
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00:37:22,699 --> 00:37:24,451
To which they replied,
245
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:28,079
"We will create
a suicide squad."
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00:38:30,934 --> 00:38:32,477
This nuclear accident
247
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:36,272
placed the very existence
of our country in danger.
248
00:38:36,397 --> 00:38:38,691
Our ability to evade a crisis
249
00:38:38,775 --> 00:38:41,986
depended on venting
these reactors.
250
00:43:26,395 --> 00:43:29,315
When I saw
the explosion on TV,
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00:43:29,398 --> 00:43:32,443
it was over an hour
after it had happened.
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00:43:32,568 --> 00:43:35,154
And I hadn't received
a word from TEPCO.
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00:43:36,364 --> 00:43:38,908
I ordered
my executive secretary,
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00:43:39,033 --> 00:43:40,952
"Get me
some information quickly."
255
00:43:41,452 --> 00:43:44,038
Everyone in the country,
in the world,
256
00:43:44,122 --> 00:43:45,581
knew of the explosion,
257
00:43:45,706 --> 00:43:49,502
but we had no information
or explanation.
258
00:43:50,211 --> 00:43:51,671
The blast was seen
259
00:43:51,754 --> 00:43:53,422
and heard for kilometers.
260
00:43:53,548 --> 00:43:58,261
Reactor 1 at Japan's Fukushima
Nuclear Power Plant explodes,
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00:43:58,386 --> 00:44:01,973
sending radioactive gas
spewing skywards.
262
00:44:42,638 --> 00:44:47,560
People talk about 2011
as being a triple disaster.
263
00:44:48,186 --> 00:44:49,770
But really it was
two separate things.
264
00:44:49,854 --> 00:44:52,398
There was the tsunami
and the earthquake
265
00:44:52,481 --> 00:44:56,152
which were an act of nature
that killed tens of thousands.
266
00:44:57,653 --> 00:44:59,488
Then there was
the nuclear accident
267
00:45:00,323 --> 00:45:02,909
which was actually something
completely different.
268
00:45:03,659 --> 00:45:07,496
The nuclear accident was
an entirely man-made disaster.
269
00:45:08,456 --> 00:45:10,333
When we started
looking into it,
270
00:45:10,458 --> 00:45:12,084
even in those first days,
271
00:45:12,168 --> 00:45:14,337
TEPCO was making mistakes.
272
00:45:16,672 --> 00:45:17,965
Now, there was a big gap
273
00:45:18,049 --> 00:45:21,719
between the plant
and headquarters in Tokyo.
274
00:45:22,345 --> 00:45:23,930
The plant was repeatedly asking,
275
00:45:24,013 --> 00:45:25,348
"Could you send up batteries
276
00:45:25,473 --> 00:45:27,767
so we can restart
our cooling systems?"
277
00:45:27,850 --> 00:45:31,270
Uh, "Can you send up generators
on trucks?"
278
00:45:33,189 --> 00:45:35,942
But TEPCO management
was in such chaos
279
00:45:36,025 --> 00:45:39,111
that they just continually sent
the wrong items.
280
00:45:39,195 --> 00:45:41,239
It's like
the wrong size batteries.
281
00:45:41,322 --> 00:45:45,576
Or it's stuff you don't need,
you know. It-It's...
282
00:45:45,660 --> 00:45:49,247
There's... At some point,
there's a pile of unused,
283
00:45:49,372 --> 00:45:51,249
unneeded objects
284
00:45:51,374 --> 00:45:53,292
that just builds up
in the parking lot.
285
00:45:55,211 --> 00:45:58,923
Also the drivers
of these trucks
286
00:45:59,048 --> 00:46:00,591
that are being sent from Tokyo
287
00:46:00,716 --> 00:46:02,426
refused to go to the plant.
288
00:46:02,551 --> 00:46:03,886
They refused
to go near the plant,
289
00:46:04,011 --> 00:46:05,096
it's too dangerous.
290
00:46:05,221 --> 00:46:09,016
So they stop
at this TEPCO dockyard
291
00:46:09,100 --> 00:46:12,228
that's two hours
south from the plant,
292
00:46:12,353 --> 00:46:14,397
and drop off their stuff there.
293
00:46:15,064 --> 00:46:17,275
And then the TEPCO workers
at the plant
294
00:46:17,775 --> 00:46:19,652
are told to drive down
and get it.
295
00:46:19,735 --> 00:46:21,696
So no one
is coming to help them.
296
00:46:25,199 --> 00:46:28,536
On top of all that,
Reactor 3 is now out of water
297
00:46:28,619 --> 00:46:31,330
and has started
to produce masses of hydrogen.
298
00:49:41,395 --> 00:49:43,105
Concerns are now being raised
299
00:49:43,230 --> 00:49:45,566
over three separate
nuclear reactors at Fukushima
300
00:49:45,649 --> 00:49:48,027
following an explosion
at one yesterday.
301
00:49:48,110 --> 00:49:50,446
There are worries
that the reactors could overheat
302
00:49:50,571 --> 00:49:51,739
leading to meltdown.
303
00:49:51,822 --> 00:49:53,115
There are also safety issues
304
00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:55,326
at two other nuclear sites.
305
00:49:55,451 --> 00:49:56,911
Officials are reassuring
the public
306
00:49:56,994 --> 00:49:58,829
that there is
no immediate danger,
307
00:49:58,913 --> 00:50:01,749
but an exclusion zone
around Fukushima
308
00:50:01,832 --> 00:50:03,125
has been extended.
309
00:50:03,250 --> 00:50:04,877
The evacuation of people
from the area
310
00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:07,254
now runs into the hundreds
of thousands.
311
00:50:07,338 --> 00:50:08,881
Strong aftershocks
312
00:50:08,964 --> 00:50:11,258
are still being felt
across the country,
313
00:50:11,342 --> 00:50:13,969
adding to the risks
the rescuers face.
314
00:50:14,512 --> 00:50:16,347
The problems
at the nuclear plants
315
00:50:16,472 --> 00:50:19,433
are making a bad situation
even worse.
316
00:50:19,517 --> 00:50:21,310
Huge swathes of the country
317
00:50:21,435 --> 00:50:24,230
still have
no electricity supplies.
318
00:50:26,482 --> 00:50:29,026
On television here,
they're looking for reassurance
319
00:50:29,151 --> 00:50:30,236
from the experts.
320
00:50:30,319 --> 00:50:32,071
But it's hard
for the Japanese public
321
00:50:32,154 --> 00:50:35,533
to be sure about the level
of risk they face.
322
00:50:35,658 --> 00:50:37,409
We are working aggressively
323
00:50:37,493 --> 00:50:39,411
to support our Japanese ally
324
00:50:39,495 --> 00:50:41,830
at this time
of extraordinary challenge.
325
00:50:42,331 --> 00:50:44,708
Search and rescue teams
are on the ground in Japan
326
00:50:44,833 --> 00:50:46,544
to help the recovery effort.
327
00:50:47,503 --> 00:50:49,672
A disaster assistance
and response team
328
00:50:49,797 --> 00:50:51,840
is working
to confront the aftermath
329
00:50:51,966 --> 00:50:53,801
of the earthquake and tsunami.
330
00:50:54,343 --> 00:50:56,804
As I told Prime Minister Kan
last night,
331
00:50:56,887 --> 00:50:58,806
the Japanese people
are not alone
332
00:50:58,889 --> 00:51:02,059
in this time of great trial
and sorrow.
333
00:51:02,643 --> 00:51:04,478
The US military,
which has helped...
334
00:51:04,562 --> 00:51:06,021
Honestly,
335
00:51:06,146 --> 00:51:07,523
I think
the Japanese government
336
00:51:07,648 --> 00:51:09,608
worried about an American
getting too involved
337
00:51:09,692 --> 00:51:11,277
with the nuclear disaster.
338
00:51:12,861 --> 00:51:14,572
I think there was a perception
339
00:51:14,697 --> 00:51:16,448
in Prime Minister Kan's mind
340
00:51:16,532 --> 00:51:18,951
that we would take over
if they failed.
341
00:51:20,369 --> 00:51:22,621
So they wanted to be able
to fix it themselves.
342
00:51:24,540 --> 00:51:27,042
But these reactors
were American in design.
343
00:51:28,085 --> 00:51:29,378
So it was only a matter of time
344
00:51:29,503 --> 00:51:31,589
before the US government
sent someone.
345
00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:34,925
We've also deployed
some of our leading experts
346
00:51:35,050 --> 00:51:38,470
to help contain the damage
at Japan's nuclear reactors.
347
00:51:39,263 --> 00:51:40,889
And that someone was me.
348
00:51:42,266 --> 00:51:43,434
I'm Charles Casto.
349
00:51:43,559 --> 00:51:45,644
I'm a nuclear
safety consultant.
350
00:51:45,728 --> 00:51:49,607
I've worked in nuclear power
for over 45 years.
351
00:51:50,190 --> 00:51:51,191
I'd never been to Japan.
352
00:51:51,275 --> 00:51:52,693
I knew very little
about the country.
353
00:51:52,776 --> 00:51:54,194
So I was sort of plopped down
354
00:51:54,278 --> 00:51:57,114
in the middle of a...
an international disaster
355
00:51:57,239 --> 00:52:00,075
with really no understanding
of the culture,
356
00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:02,328
the language, the people.
357
00:52:02,411 --> 00:52:04,204
Although I did know
the facility,
358
00:52:04,288 --> 00:52:05,914
the nuclear plant very well,
359
00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:08,208
um, because I worked at a plant
360
00:52:08,292 --> 00:52:11,295
almost identical
to Fukushima Daiichi.
361
00:52:11,378 --> 00:52:13,797
So, I had been an operator
and instructor at that plant.
362
00:52:13,922 --> 00:52:16,050
That's partially the reason
that I was chosen
363
00:52:16,133 --> 00:52:17,426
to lead that effort.
364
00:52:19,970 --> 00:52:22,306
When I landed,
we rushed to the embassy,
365
00:52:22,431 --> 00:52:25,392
and I was thrust
in a secure video conference
366
00:52:25,476 --> 00:52:27,978
with US government
and US military
367
00:52:28,103 --> 00:52:30,105
to discuss next steps.
368
00:52:30,648 --> 00:52:33,150
The US has a large
military presence in Japan.
369
00:52:33,651 --> 00:52:35,736
Over 80,000 people.
370
00:52:35,819 --> 00:52:37,446
So we had our concerns.
371
00:52:37,905 --> 00:52:41,408
Not a lot of information,
a lot of speculation.
372
00:52:41,492 --> 00:52:43,077
So one of the...
373
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:45,954
You know, one of my goals
was try to reduce that chaos.
374
00:52:46,997 --> 00:52:48,040
But, um...
375
00:52:48,749 --> 00:52:51,335
it was days
before we felt comfortable
376
00:52:51,460 --> 00:52:53,170
we were getting
good information.
377
00:52:53,295 --> 00:52:54,672
Many days.
378
00:52:55,798 --> 00:52:57,716
It seems yesterday's explosion
379
00:52:57,800 --> 00:52:59,385
in the plant's Unit 1 reactor
380
00:52:59,468 --> 00:53:01,428
was caused by a buildup
of hydrogen gas
381
00:53:01,512 --> 00:53:02,930
inside the building.
382
00:53:03,013 --> 00:53:05,683
It destroyed its walls,
but the containment chamber
383
00:53:05,808 --> 00:53:08,977
surrounding the nuclear core
remained intact,
384
00:53:09,103 --> 00:53:12,481
preventing a potentially
catastrophic radiation leak.
385
00:53:13,023 --> 00:53:15,317
But it's now thought
that a partial meltdown
386
00:53:15,442 --> 00:53:17,486
in a second reactor
at the plant, Unit 3,
387
00:53:17,611 --> 00:53:19,113
is highly possible.
388
00:53:19,196 --> 00:53:21,740
A complete meltdown
could release uranium
389
00:53:21,824 --> 00:53:24,743
and dangerous byproducts
into the environment.
390
00:53:43,011 --> 00:53:45,013
So on the 14th,
the team at the plant
391
00:53:45,139 --> 00:53:46,807
were using a small fire truck
392
00:53:46,890 --> 00:53:49,059
to pump water into Reactor 3.
393
00:53:51,645 --> 00:53:55,065
And so this... this single
fire truck with these hoses
394
00:53:55,190 --> 00:53:56,734
is the only thing
cooling the reactor.
395
00:53:58,402 --> 00:54:00,946
And they're now having to use
seawater to do this,
396
00:54:01,029 --> 00:54:03,365
which is something
TEPCO told them not to do
397
00:54:03,490 --> 00:54:07,369
because seawater would ruin
the longevity of the reactor.
398
00:54:07,870 --> 00:54:09,913
But at this point,
saving the reactor
399
00:54:10,038 --> 00:54:11,415
is out of the question.
400
00:54:12,666 --> 00:54:14,793
They just need
to do anything they can
401
00:54:14,877 --> 00:54:16,211
to get on top of this.
402
00:54:16,336 --> 00:54:18,213
But they just
don't have the tools
403
00:54:18,338 --> 00:54:19,715
to stop the hydrogen buildup.
404
00:55:04,885 --> 00:55:06,762
Japan's nuclear crisis
worsened today
405
00:55:06,887 --> 00:55:09,223
when a second reactor building
exploded.
406
00:55:09,306 --> 00:55:12,392
The suspected hydrogen explosion
did lead to the release
407
00:55:12,476 --> 00:55:14,645
of some radioactive material
into the air.
408
00:55:14,770 --> 00:55:16,688
Officials have been
giving assurances
409
00:55:16,772 --> 00:55:19,566
the containment structures
that house nuclear material
410
00:55:19,650 --> 00:55:20,984
remain intact.
411
00:55:21,068 --> 00:55:23,570
But it's becoming clear
that those assurances
412
00:55:23,654 --> 00:55:25,405
are not based on any certainty
413
00:55:25,489 --> 00:55:27,741
about what's going on
inside the reactors.
414
00:55:27,825 --> 00:55:29,743
A short while ago,
the plant owner,
415
00:55:29,827 --> 00:55:31,912
the Tokyo Electric
Power Company,
416
00:55:31,995 --> 00:55:34,456
announced that water levels
in Reactor Number 2
417
00:55:34,581 --> 00:55:35,791
are dangerously low,
418
00:55:35,916 --> 00:55:38,377
raising the specter
of a nuclear meltdown.
419
00:55:40,170 --> 00:55:41,797
As soon as Unit 3 is lost,
420
00:55:41,922 --> 00:55:44,800
Unit 2 starts to go downhill.
421
00:55:46,093 --> 00:55:48,428
And for various reasons,
Unit 2 is worse
422
00:55:48,512 --> 00:55:49,888
than Unit 1 or Unit 3.
423
00:55:49,972 --> 00:55:52,224
The-the pressures
are much higher.
424
00:55:52,933 --> 00:55:55,435
And so the big fear
was that the reactor
425
00:55:55,519 --> 00:55:58,605
would actually blow up,
like a balloon popping,
426
00:55:59,314 --> 00:56:03,819
in a Chernobyl-style rupture
of the reactor itself.
427
00:56:07,823 --> 00:56:09,867
And that's when
they start talking about...
428
00:56:10,659 --> 00:56:12,619
you know, can we even
control the plant?
429
00:56:12,703 --> 00:56:15,122
You know,
why are we even staying?
430
00:56:17,708 --> 00:56:19,918
TEPCO management
then calls the government
431
00:56:20,002 --> 00:56:23,005
to say, "We don't think
we can deal with this.
432
00:56:23,130 --> 00:56:24,882
We may have to evacuate."
433
00:56:27,342 --> 00:56:29,386
I was speechless.
434
00:56:29,511 --> 00:56:31,179
If they withdraw now,
435
00:56:31,305 --> 00:56:33,098
the very existence
of this country
436
00:56:33,181 --> 00:56:34,975
would be in jeopardy.
437
00:56:35,058 --> 00:56:37,019
We had to contain the accident.
438
00:56:37,519 --> 00:56:39,479
And we had to be prepared
439
00:56:39,563 --> 00:56:41,899
to lose life in the process.
440
00:56:42,482 --> 00:56:43,483
I told them,
441
00:56:43,567 --> 00:56:45,444
"I'm going
to TEPCO headquarters.
442
00:56:45,527 --> 00:56:47,029
Make preparations."
443
00:56:50,032 --> 00:56:51,533
Looking in
from the outside,
444
00:56:51,658 --> 00:56:55,037
the situation was completely
dysfunctional and disconnected.
445
00:56:55,871 --> 00:56:58,206
First meeting was,
"Look at our track record.
446
00:56:58,332 --> 00:57:00,876
Like, how good...
how strong it's been."
447
00:57:01,835 --> 00:57:04,046
Well, that's over, you know.
448
00:57:04,171 --> 00:57:05,631
That was my thought.
449
00:57:07,507 --> 00:57:09,801
TEPCO couldn't get
a hold of the situation.
450
00:57:09,885 --> 00:57:13,055
And the government also seemed
to be completely ill-informed.
451
00:57:13,597 --> 00:57:15,307
Prime Minister Kan had experts
452
00:57:15,390 --> 00:57:17,059
who he would listen to.
453
00:57:17,768 --> 00:57:20,228
They came up
with this popcorn scenario.
454
00:57:20,354 --> 00:57:21,605
Like a chain reaction.
455
00:57:21,730 --> 00:57:23,273
One reactor
would set off another,
456
00:57:23,398 --> 00:57:25,067
then another, and then another.
457
00:57:25,692 --> 00:57:28,570
It could just get worse,
and worse, and worse out there.
458
00:57:49,716 --> 00:57:51,510
So he had
immense pressure on him.
459
00:57:51,593 --> 00:57:53,428
He wanted everything,
as you might imagine,
460
00:57:53,553 --> 00:57:55,764
wanted everything faster,
stronger, bigger.
461
00:57:58,225 --> 00:57:59,601
I was sent there to help.
462
00:58:00,268 --> 00:58:02,104
They didn't want to listen
to an American,
463
00:58:02,604 --> 00:58:05,107
which is understandable
given our history.
464
00:59:03,165 --> 00:59:05,584
I arrived at TEPCO headquarters
465
00:59:05,667 --> 00:59:08,545
a little after 5:30 a.m.
466
00:59:08,628 --> 00:59:10,756
A number of monitors
were lined up
467
00:59:10,839 --> 00:59:12,340
in the operations room.
468
00:59:12,841 --> 00:59:15,635
One of them was connected
to Fukushima Daiichi.
469
00:59:16,136 --> 00:59:17,846
I addressed everyone.
470
01:01:31,479 --> 01:01:33,773
Good evening.
The situation at Japan's
471
01:01:33,857 --> 01:01:36,985
Fukushima nuclear plant
has gotten worse.
472
01:01:39,112 --> 01:01:42,240
While a Tokyo Electric official
said in a press conference
473
01:01:42,324 --> 01:01:43,909
that he does not believe
474
01:01:43,992 --> 01:01:45,577
a critical event is imminent,
475
01:01:45,660 --> 01:01:47,662
a senior
nuclear industry executive
476
01:01:47,787 --> 01:01:49,039
told the New York Times
477
01:01:49,164 --> 01:01:52,417
that Japanese nuclear managers
are, quote,
478
01:01:53,043 --> 01:01:55,337
"Basically
in a full-scale panic."
479
01:01:58,465 --> 01:02:00,675
After the Unit 4 explosion,
480
01:02:00,800 --> 01:02:03,011
TEPCO did evacuate the plant.
481
01:02:05,388 --> 01:02:08,266
Kan agreed to the evacuation
482
01:02:08,350 --> 01:02:10,352
of most people from the plant
483
01:02:10,894 --> 01:02:12,812
if a small number would stay
484
01:02:12,896 --> 01:02:15,023
to-to... basically,
to man the fire trucks.
485
01:02:15,148 --> 01:02:16,233
They had three fire trucks
486
01:02:16,358 --> 01:02:18,068
that were pumping water
into the reactors.
487
01:02:18,193 --> 01:02:20,195
That was it. That was the
entire response at that point,
488
01:02:20,320 --> 01:02:21,738
was three fire trucks.
489
01:02:22,697 --> 01:02:24,366
Kan wanted enough people
to stay
490
01:02:24,491 --> 01:02:26,159
to man those fire trucks
491
01:02:26,243 --> 01:02:28,745
and to monitor the reactors,
492
01:02:30,080 --> 01:02:32,707
and a total
of 69 people stayed.
493
01:02:32,832 --> 01:02:34,292
They're known
as the Fukushima Fifty,
494
01:02:34,376 --> 01:02:36,211
but there were
actually 69 of them.
495
01:02:36,336 --> 01:02:39,172
They were staying
so the others could leave.
496
01:02:39,256 --> 01:02:41,883
Uh, and... they stayed knowing
497
01:02:42,008 --> 01:02:43,718
that they may not come back.
498
01:06:57,180 --> 01:06:58,681
Japanese engineers
499
01:06:58,806 --> 01:07:01,100
marshalled all
their remaining tools today
500
01:07:01,184 --> 01:07:02,560
in the week-long struggle
501
01:07:02,644 --> 01:07:05,146
to prevent
a full-blown nuclear disaster.
502
01:07:06,105 --> 01:07:07,482
Filmed just yesterday
503
01:07:07,607 --> 01:07:09,150
from a military helicopter,
504
01:07:09,275 --> 01:07:12,070
this shaky footage
is the best image we have yet
505
01:07:12,153 --> 01:07:14,572
of the crippled
Fukushima nuclear plant.
506
01:07:14,656 --> 01:07:16,574
No workers can be seen outside.
507
01:07:16,658 --> 01:07:18,826
With radiation
at such high levels,
508
01:07:18,952 --> 01:07:20,995
it's simply too dangerous.
509
01:07:21,454 --> 01:07:23,581
The dense steam
is believed to be rising
510
01:07:23,665 --> 01:07:27,418
from a storage pool holding
100 tons of nuclear fuel.
511
01:07:28,169 --> 01:07:32,549
And alarmingly, two more pools
nearby are also heating up.
512
01:07:34,008 --> 01:07:36,928
Normally, at least five meters
of cooling water
513
01:07:37,011 --> 01:07:39,305
cover the rods,
stopping them from overheating
514
01:07:39,389 --> 01:07:42,267
and protecting workers
from a deadly radiation.
515
01:07:42,892 --> 01:07:44,269
But reports now indicate
516
01:07:44,352 --> 01:07:46,521
the pool
has run completely dry,
517
01:07:46,646 --> 01:07:49,357
a potentially
catastrophic development.
518
01:07:49,857 --> 01:07:52,652
Radiation levels there
are believed to be lethal.
519
01:07:52,735 --> 01:07:54,362
No one can go near.
520
01:07:55,363 --> 01:07:57,490
Seven days into this crisis,
521
01:07:57,574 --> 01:07:58,783
no one is any clearer
522
01:07:58,866 --> 01:08:01,286
on how this nuclear emergency
will end.
523
01:08:51,294 --> 01:08:54,464
At this moment, 70 brave souls
are still working
524
01:08:54,547 --> 01:08:57,342
at the stricken
Fukushima plant in Japan.
525
01:08:57,425 --> 01:08:59,844
They are trying to prevent
a nuclear meltdown
526
01:08:59,927 --> 01:09:01,971
and apparently suffering
great radiation.
527
01:09:02,096 --> 01:09:03,473
We've obtained a statement
528
01:09:03,598 --> 01:09:06,351
from the International
Atomic Energy Agency, Peter,
529
01:09:06,434 --> 01:09:09,020
that says the levels
at the plant,
530
01:09:09,103 --> 01:09:10,772
and I want
to make that very clear,
531
01:09:10,897 --> 01:09:12,649
at the plant itself,
532
01:09:12,774 --> 01:09:14,609
are enough to kill a man
533
01:09:14,734 --> 01:09:16,569
within five hours.
534
01:18:11,270 --> 01:18:12,813
A few dozen workers
535
01:18:12,938 --> 01:18:14,648
at the Fukushima nuclear plant
536
01:18:14,773 --> 01:18:18,360
finally were able to restart
the reactor's cooling systems.
537
01:18:18,485 --> 01:18:20,487
Workers have
entered a reactor building
538
01:18:20,613 --> 01:18:22,406
at Japan's Fukushima
nuclear plant
539
01:18:22,489 --> 01:18:24,491
for the first time
since it was damaged
540
01:18:24,617 --> 01:18:26,535
by March's earthquake
and tsunami.
541
01:18:29,997 --> 01:18:31,749
After the
Hyper Rescue Team came,
542
01:18:31,832 --> 01:18:33,876
more and more people
arrived to help.
543
01:18:34,627 --> 01:18:36,962
And they finally start to get
a handle on the disaster.
544
01:18:40,549 --> 01:18:43,719
What follows
is civil suits, inquests,
545
01:18:43,844 --> 01:18:47,139
and TEPCO executives
making public apologies.
546
01:19:04,073 --> 01:19:07,201
It's also revealed
that TEPCO received a report
547
01:19:07,326 --> 01:19:09,703
warning that a tsunami
of 15 meters
548
01:19:09,828 --> 01:19:12,248
was possible
at the Fukushima plant.
549
01:19:15,084 --> 01:19:16,877
But instead of acting on it,
550
01:19:17,002 --> 01:19:18,879
TEPCO sat on the report
551
01:19:19,004 --> 01:19:21,048
and only gave it
to nuclear authorities
552
01:19:21,173 --> 01:19:23,259
on March 7th, 2011,
553
01:19:23,759 --> 01:19:26,011
four days
before the disaster struck.
554
01:19:31,433 --> 01:19:35,062
Japan is the nation that
invented the word "tsunami."
555
01:19:35,729 --> 01:19:37,439
So the idea
that a Japanese plant
556
01:19:37,523 --> 01:19:40,401
wouldn't be ready
for a tsunami looks ludicrous.
557
01:19:40,943 --> 01:19:42,111
And yet they weren't.
558
01:19:42,569 --> 01:19:44,154
When-when the waves hit,
559
01:19:44,697 --> 01:19:47,491
the plant was literally caught
with its pants down.
560
01:19:47,574 --> 01:19:49,868
You don't even...
even need a wave wall.
561
01:19:49,952 --> 01:19:52,538
All you need
is a waterproof power system.
562
01:19:52,621 --> 01:19:54,915
Like you have in a ship,
or a submarine, or something.
563
01:19:55,040 --> 01:19:56,750
It-it wouldn't have taken
a whole lot.
564
01:19:57,251 --> 01:19:58,585
And they just didn't do it
565
01:19:58,711 --> 01:20:01,380
because to raise the risk
of a tsunami,
566
01:20:01,463 --> 01:20:04,133
to raise the risk of something
like that happening,
567
01:20:04,216 --> 01:20:08,637
would go against the orthodoxy
of the "safety myth."
568
01:20:08,721 --> 01:20:10,681
If you questioned
the safety of a plant,
569
01:20:10,764 --> 01:20:12,182
even something like, "Hey,
570
01:20:12,266 --> 01:20:14,310
let's have a few more
backup systems,"
571
01:20:15,060 --> 01:20:17,187
it could possibly
cost you your career.
572
01:20:17,938 --> 01:20:19,231
And so people didn't do it.
573
01:20:19,315 --> 01:20:21,442
They-they...
They had to toe the line.
574
01:20:21,984 --> 01:20:25,112
And the plant was... was...
was left vulnerable
575
01:20:25,237 --> 01:20:27,114
to something that
in Japan, frankly,
576
01:20:27,239 --> 01:20:30,159
should have been... foreseeable.
577
01:21:47,361 --> 01:21:49,071
The aftermath
of the accident
578
01:21:49,196 --> 01:21:50,739
is still going on today.
579
01:21:52,074 --> 01:21:56,203
And we are still decades
from cleaning up
580
01:21:56,328 --> 01:21:59,289
the radioactive material
in the reactors.
581
01:21:59,915 --> 01:22:03,752
Uh, it'll be my grandchildren
who see that cleaned up.
582
01:22:04,670 --> 01:22:06,046
And after years of mothballing
583
01:22:06,171 --> 01:22:08,424
the nuclear program in Japan,
584
01:22:08,549 --> 01:22:10,634
it's firmly back
on the agenda.
585
01:22:11,718 --> 01:22:14,054
They've restarted 14 reactors,
586
01:22:14,179 --> 01:22:16,723
and there are plans
to build many, many more.
587
01:22:18,725 --> 01:22:20,269
It's not just Japan.
588
01:22:20,394 --> 01:22:22,563
Much of the world,
faced with climate change
589
01:22:22,688 --> 01:22:24,773
and energy insecurity,
590
01:22:24,898 --> 01:22:27,067
is now turning back
to nuclear power.
591
01:22:30,195 --> 01:22:32,030
If... You know,
if there was a big lesson
592
01:22:32,114 --> 01:22:33,449
from the accident,
593
01:22:34,241 --> 01:22:36,034
it would be the necessity
594
01:22:36,118 --> 01:22:38,579
of transparency
and-and coming...
595
01:22:38,704 --> 01:22:39,997
being frank with people, right?
596
01:22:41,540 --> 01:22:43,709
You would hope
that lesson has been learned.
597
01:22:44,418 --> 01:22:46,587
But the government has
never been fully transparent
598
01:22:46,712 --> 01:22:49,006
about what happened
in Fukushima.
599
01:22:49,715 --> 01:22:51,967
TEPCO has never revealed
fully what happened.
600
01:22:52,593 --> 01:22:55,596
We have very few records
of what was being said
601
01:22:55,721 --> 01:22:57,264
or done at that time.
602
01:22:58,098 --> 01:22:59,558
It feels like
any question of risk,
603
01:22:59,641 --> 01:23:02,144
any question of what
can go wrong is gone,
604
01:23:02,269 --> 01:23:04,813
and people just don't want
to talk about that.
605
01:23:06,148 --> 01:23:08,192
We're back to, you know,
"Don't worry about it,
606
01:23:08,275 --> 01:23:10,194
we'll take care of it,
everything's okay."
607
01:23:24,124 --> 01:23:26,585
And their messaging
leaves us wondering,
608
01:23:26,668 --> 01:23:28,712
has anything really changed?
609
01:24:41,702 --> 01:24:43,453
...those brave emergency workers
610
01:24:43,537 --> 01:24:46,456
who are walking
into a wall of radiation.
611
01:25:17,112 --> 01:25:20,574
The operators there do
not see themselves as heroes.
612
01:25:20,699 --> 01:25:22,367
You know,
they felt they were culprits
613
01:25:22,451 --> 01:25:23,785
more than heroes,
614
01:25:23,869 --> 01:25:26,163
that they caused the accident,
which they didn't.
615
01:25:26,246 --> 01:25:29,625
Some told me that, you know,
we feel like Vietnam veterans.
616
01:25:30,083 --> 01:25:32,085
You know,
that in America where...
617
01:25:32,544 --> 01:25:34,379
You know, we think
we fought a noble battle
618
01:25:34,463 --> 01:25:37,174
but our people don't think
this is a noble war.
619
01:25:37,924 --> 01:25:39,760
So we're not heroes.
620
01:25:42,304 --> 01:25:44,222
But for me,
unlike the military,
621
01:25:44,306 --> 01:25:46,266
none of those
who stayed behind at that plant
622
01:25:46,391 --> 01:25:48,560
expected they would have
to give up their life.
623
01:25:49,561 --> 01:25:51,980
They, like anyone else
with a nine-to-five job,
624
01:25:52,105 --> 01:25:54,149
turned up on the 11th
with their lunchboxes
625
01:25:54,274 --> 01:25:55,442
to work their shifts.
626
01:25:56,151 --> 01:25:57,986
Then they were faced
with all of this.
627
01:25:59,112 --> 01:26:00,614
And they chose to stay.
628
01:26:02,616 --> 01:26:04,451
And I think understanding that,
629
01:26:05,285 --> 01:26:07,037
anyone would have to agree
630
01:26:07,621 --> 01:26:09,665
that they are
absolutely heroic.