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Fukushima: Fukushima: Fukushima: 1. Tsunami

Factual

A tsunami hits the Japanese nuclear plant. A drama telling the story of disaster

Podcasts

Drama: Historical

A tsunami hits the Japanese nuclear plant. A seven-part drama. Season 1: Fall of the Shah

Season 2: Fukushima
A tsunami hits the Japanese nuclear plant. A seven-part drama.
Season 1: Fall of the Shah
A tale of power, betrayal and fear. A nine-part drama.

Season 1: Fall of the Shah
A tale of power, betrayal and fear. Taking you back to the 1970s, when the Iranian Revolution would change the world forever.  A nine-part drama.

Season 2: Fukushima
A tsunami hits the Japanese nuclear plant. The disaster told in a seven-part drama. As the energy company and politicians in Tokyo lose control, the reactors become unstable and a “suicide squad” of older workers is sent inside. This drama follows the heroes who fight to contain the disaster and those whose mistakes led Japan to catastrophe. Years later, some seek atonement.

Fukushima Cast:
Suto: Togo Igawa
Akiko: Ami Okumura Jones
Yoshida: Eiji Mahara
Saito: Sadao Ueda
Ito: Matt McCooey
Shimada: Akira Koieyama
Narrator: Romola Garai
Reporter: Kevin Shen
Reporter: Naoko Mori 
Worker: Nino Furuhata
Written by Adrian Penketh
Sound design is by Peter Ringrose
Produced by Toby Swift and Sasha Yevtushenko
Commissioned by Simon Pitts for BBC World Service.

Fukushima: Fukushima

A tsunami hits the Fukushima nuclear power plant, turning it into a ticking time bomb.

In March 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan’s history triggered a tsunami that decimated large areas of the country and led to widespread loss of life.

When the tsunami made landfall it barrelled over the seawall protecting the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Japan’s Pacific coast, flooding its basements and cutting its power.

The stricken power plant became a ticking timebomb, posing an existential threat to Japan and beyond.

This drama series follows the people who fought to contain the disaster and those who had to live with its aftermath.

Suto ….. Togo Igawa
Akiko ….. Ami Okumura Jones
Yoshida …… Eiji Mahara
Saito ….. Sadao Ueda
Ito ….. Matt McCooey
Shimada ….. Akira Koieyama
Narrator  ….. Romola Garai
Reporter ….. Kevin Shen
Reporter ….. Naoko Mori 
Worker ….. Nino Furuhata

31/05/2023 GMT

Fukushima: 1. Tsunami

BBC World Service - Fukushima, Fukushima, Fukushima: 1. Tsunami

Japan’s nuclear plant is hit as an immense wave surges past defences and floods reactors

Japan’s nuclear plant is hit as an immense wave surges past defences and floods reactors. It’s a desperate fight to contain a disaster.

Japan’s nuclear plant is hit as an immense wave surges past defences and floods reactors.  It’s a desperate fight to contain a disaster. A drama about the events of March 2011.  

Cast:
Suto: Togo Igawa
Akiko: Ami Okumura Jones
Yoshida: Eiji Mihara
Saito: Sadao Ueda
Ito: Matt McCooey
Shimada: Akira Koieyama
Narrator: Romola Garai
Reporter: Kevin Shen
Reporter: Naoko Mori 
Worker: Nino Furuhata

Fukushima is written by Adrian Penketh
Sound design is by Peter Ringrose
Produced by Toby Swift and Sasha Yevtushenko
Commissioned by Simon Pitts for BBC World Service

Audio for this episode was updated on 4 October 2023.

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