entertainment

NHK to broadcast documentary series for 9 days to mark 1st anniversary of March 11 disaster

15 Comments

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.

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15 Comments
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These shows that NHK are putting on sound very interesting and I for one will be watching them with interest and also sadness. Can't believe it would already of been a year next month. The shock of it all and the shocking images are still fresh in my mind.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

why is this in the entertainment section?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

WHAT TIME???????????????????????????

1 ( +1 / -0 )

LoveNot: believe it or not, television falls under entertainment, be the content the usual vapid stuff shown here or the very serious topic of March 11th and the issues NHK is going to tackle. I don't think there' any other section it would qualify to fall under.

Anyway, sounds like some interesting programming. I hope it's as objective as possible, particularly with the nuclear issue. I hope to see some of these programs.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Excellent. Thanks. I want to record it. How can that be done?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JapanGal: Most modern DVD/BlueRay players come with built-in recorders (often they even have built in memory to record, then write to DVD later). It's a pain in the butt, but I'm sure you can figure it out.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

As for the first question in the article above, "What really happened on March 11?", I think we already know the answer to that puzzle. It what's been happening since then concerning those smoldering nuclear power reactors that concerns many people.

It will be interesting to see how NHK handles the nuclear portion of these programs. Will it explain fully and honestly about what we have experienced radiation-wise since the four nuclear power reactors went haywire following the tsunami ... and what we are experiencing right now. I hope there are no coverups concerning the radiation problems ...

Have to watch the NHK series ... should be interesting ...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What the hello TIME is this thing showing on NHK over those days?????????????????? Anyone?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Ranger_Miffy2 "TIME"--probably prime time evening before or after one of their regular news shows.

Anyone watch some or all of the 17 hour telethon about this topic that MBS ran on Christmas? Now that was a doozy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It will be interesting to see how NHK handles the nuclear portion of these programs. Will it explain fully and honestly about what we have experienced radiation-wise since the four nuclear power reactors went haywire following the tsunami ... and what we are experiencing right now. I hope there are no coverups concerning the radiation problems ...

I'm guessing that it will ignore documenting the incompetence, lies and coverups - and will set the tone for future revisionism.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The NHK Special series generally run from 9 p.m. JST... no information on NHK's site about this series, yet... Except for live broadcasting during and shortly following the disaster, NHK has been surprisingly critical, almost evenhanded (by NHK standards, anyway) in its coverage of both the government and TEPCO in relation to the March 11 disaster. While some of their field work can be a little wooden, at best, their vast resources mean they can find, and spend more time with, stories that might be missed by the other broadcasters.

I'm looking forward to watching this series.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I won't be watching TV that week. I just can't bear to see all of that carnage again and 9 days seems like overkill. I was so depressed after the 24/7 bombardment of a year ago. It was necessary last year and is probably still so this year but 9 days I think is just too much.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'd really love to watch the NHK special series but unfortunately, I've no means to record it. Above all, in Hamburg, Germany where I'm living we're 8 hrs behind which means 9 p.m. JST is 1 p.m. CET and that's when I'm right at work. Will there be a DVD edition or something like that?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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