Original subtitles

[rapid breathing]

[water laps]

BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

-[man 1] I'll help! -[man 2] Thanks!

-[man 1] Ready? -[man 2] Okay. Here we go.

[men] One, two…

[metal creaks]

-[man 3] Just a little more. -[man 2] Again!

[men] One, two…

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 2

[man 2] Let's try again.

-[men] One, two… -[man 2] Okay.

-Okay. Coming through. -[man 4] Okay.

[man 5] We'll put the cables down here. Hurry up!

-[man 6] Let's turn it. -[man 4] Move slower.

-[man 6] Slowly. Don't rush it. -[man 1] Okay.

[man 6] Put it down there. That's it.

[man 5] Hey! Hurry up and give me the cables!

[all] Yes, sir!

[man 7] Put 'em down. Okay! One, two…

[all strain]

[man 6] Bring it out. Find the end. But slow. Take your time.

[man 5] Don't get the ends wet!

[all] Copy that, sir.

[Yoshida on phone] We located a switchboard.

The one for the turbine building in Unit 2 is working.

We're laying cables now.

[Murakami] What do you mean?

SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING

Unit 2 was unreachable by the power supply car.

Because the roads are blocked?

TOEPCO HEAD OFFICE

[Yoshida] Yes. There's just too much rubble.

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER STATION ROAD NEAR REACTOR BUILDING

HIGH PRESSURE MOBILE GENERATOR

ONE HOUR AND 40 MINUTES AGO

[quiet tense music plays]

Turn the high beams on!

[tense music continues]

Back up the truck. Take another route.

We can reach the south side of the building if we take the coast.

[tense music continues]

[brakes hiss]

[man 5] What's going on? Was there a building here before?

NO. 1 CRUDE OIL TANK

[man 5] The seaside oil tank?

[tense music continues]

So far, we've been able to get to the south of the turbine for the second unit,

so we're running cables to connect it from there.

Cables? But it's over 200 meters.

-That'll weigh a ton. -[Yoshida] Yes.

How will you do it?

-We'll do it by hand. -[phones ringing]

-[indistinct chatter] -[keys tapping]

It usually takes days, and that's if they're using a crane.

Will they really be able to do it in total darkness?

We have no other choice.

-[man 5] Careful. -[man 1] Okay.

Hey! Be careful!

-Whoa! -[grunting]

[gasping and grunting]

[gasping]

We won't see a tsunami from that small aftershock.

-Let's go! -[man 1] Yes, sir!

[man 2] Yes, sir.

[man 5] Ide.

Can we get the cable through here? It's crazy.

-[man 3] Yes. -[man 8] Yamada, you good?

-[Yamada] Yeah. -[man 8] Still a long way to go.

We've got this, guys!

[all] Yes, sir.

[tense music playing]

[man 9 cries out]

[water splashing]

-[man 10] Katayama! -[man 5] What happened?

[man 10] Katayama disappeared!

-[man 5] Find him! -[all] Yes, sir!

-[man 1] Katayama! Where are you? -[man 2] Katayama!

-[man 3] Katayama! -[man 4] Katayama, where'd you go?

-[man 6] Katayama! -[man 7] Katayama!

[man 8] Where are you? Katayama!

-[man 9] Katayama! Katayama! -[man 10] Come on, man.

[man 11 yells]

[man 8] Hey, light up the heavy equipment!

[man 12] Okay!

[metal creaking]

[men grunting]

[man 11 coughing]

Manhole!

The manhole covers got carried away by the tsunami. They're wide open!

[man 11 coughs]

[man 11 gasping for air]

[ominous music playing]

[thud echoes]

[man 11 coughing]

Go find Katayama! Now!

[all] Yes, sir!

-[man 1] Katayama! -[man 2] Katayama!

-[man 3] Katayama! -[man 6] Katayama!

-[man 4] Can you hear us? -[man 2] Katayama!

-[man 5] Hurry up and find him! -[man 2] Keep looking.

-[man 1] Katayama! -[man 2] Katayama!

-[man 13] Yes, sir! -[man 3] Katayama!

[man 4] Katayama!

[man 13] We found him!

Katayama!

-[Katayama gasps for air] -[man 13] Are you all right? Over here!

-[man 5] Are you all right? -[man 13] Are you okay?

[Katayama gasping for air]

[loud thud]

-[screams] -[rumbling]

[metal crashes]

[yells]

[man 2] Look out! Careful! [grunts]

[man 3] It's a big one!

[metal crashes]

[rumbling fades]

[indistinct chatter]

There's no choice. Stop laying the cables for now.

-I'll make sure they're aware. -[Kinoshita] Really?

Hold on, I'll put him on now. It's Mr. Maejima, sir.

Unit 1's primary containment vessel pressure's going up.

Unit 1 also?

What do you mean?

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI CONTROL ROOM FOR UNITS 1 AND 2

UNIT 1

11:50 P.M.: ELEVATION IN PRIMARY CONTAINMENT VESSEL PRESSURE, 600 KPA

-[man 1] Excuse me. -Hey, is this for real?

[man 2] Notification to staff. As of 11:50 p.m., Unit 1's primary…

Here, sir!

-Let them know right away. -On it.

I'm sorry. It's likely the IC currently isn't working.

That means

the cooling system's not on.

[sighs]

How long has the IC been stopped?

[operator 1] Pressure decreasing in Unit 1. 4.5 megapascals.

Hold on. The pressure's decreasing too quickly.

EIGHT HOURS EARLIER

The temperature's declining at over 55 degrees an hour.

It's cooling too quick.

-Cut the IC? -[Maejima] Yeah.

Cut the valve according to protocol. We'll see how the cooling's affected.

-[operator 1] Copy. -Get a read on the generators.

[Todoroki] We'll go.

[Maejima] Be careful. There could be more aftershocks.

-[Toda] Yes, sir. -[Todoroki] Copy.

[system beeping]

[operator 1] Unit 1 IC deactivated.

Right after the quake…

we opened and closed the valve a few times

to keep the temperature drop under control.

-IC activated. -[Maejima] Copy.

[system continues beeping]

[beeping stops]

[tense music playing]

And then,

the tsunami caused us to lose power.

[operator 1] Bring the light here.

[clicking]

And if the valve was open or closed after that…

we couldn't determine it.

What? You couldn't determine?

Oh, that's right.

The parameters couldn't be read.

Your hands were tied.

Not exactly.

The water levels were above TAF, and I let down my guard.

No, I'm sorry.

Uh…

[sighs] Well, then…

Listen, uh…

we're in trouble now.

Uh, as of 11 p.m.,

the car with the power supply still has not been connected.

Uh, with visibility lacking at night

and the road situation due to the tsunami,

well, they're struggling to get it done,

and at this point, we still have no power.

You say they're struggling, but do you have a plan?

Yes, approximately when will the power return?

[woman] Yes. We want to know.

[journalists speak indistinctly]

[cameras clicking]

[journalists clamoring]

Unit 1 is also rising in air pressure.

You said Unit 1's cooling systems were functional!

What's going on?

Worst-case scenario here, what'll happen?

If the pressure keeps rising in Unit 1,

the containment vessel will be damaged in a few hours.

How will it be damaged?

Like a hole in it?

Radiation will be leaked into the air?

It's Chernobyl all over.

[tense music playing]

MUTSU CITY, AOMORI PREFECTURE FAMILY HOME OF UNIT 4 OPERATOR KIRIHARA

[Kirihara's sister] Whoa. Why isn't this cold?

Jeez, what's going on?

It's freezing in here.

[sighs]

What's up? Who called?

-Your granny. -Grandma?

They were showing the names of the missing people on the news

and Koki was one of them.

What?

[sighs] Still won't turn on.

I wonder what she's talking about.

Koki and I talked right after the earthquake.

Hmm. Oh, she probably just read it wrong.

You're right.

[knocking on door]

-[woman] Excuse me. Hello? -[Kirihara's mom] Coming.

[knocking on door]

-[woman] Is anyone home? -[Kirihara's mom] Yes!

-Oh, Miss Sekine. -Atsuko.

-Yes? -[Sekine] Have you heard the radio?

-Not yet. -[Sekine] It's Koki.

On the radio they said,

"TOEPCO'S Koki Kirihara, age 21, is missing."

What?

That was the central Control Room calling.

Unit 1's primary containment vessel is at over 620 kilopascals in pressure.

[workers clamoring]

DESIGN PRESSURE: 427 KPA

[ominous music playing]

-[man 1] It could explode any second. -Uh-huh.

-[man 1] It's only designed to withstand… -[man 2] It might be out of water.

Are the radiation level's rising?

It can't last much longer.

[ominous music continues]

Can I have your attention?

Can the MO valve still be moved?

To vent the reactor?

Yeah.

That's our only shot.

Vent it! We'll vent it!

Check if we can access those valves remotely!

Hurry! Get it done!

[ominous music continues]

EPISODE 3

Venting? What is that?

[man] It means opening up a valve

to let some of the gas out into the atmosphere

to decrease the primary containment vessel's pressure.

Gas? What kind of gas?

Is it safe to let that stuff out?

Wetwell venting, it's called.

The gas will get filtered through water before letting it out.

What does that mean then?

[man] The amount of radioactive substance in the gas should be minimal.

Mr. Ishizuka,

a minimal amount,

that suggests that it's safe, right?

No. Uh, well, it depends on what you consider as safe.

Don't jerk us around here now!

How am I supposed to explain that?

Yes. As I thought, they are quite resistant.

Yes.

Well, if radioactive substance is in fact leaked out into the air,

our neighboring countries will surely have a fit.

TO-OH ELECTRICITY POWER COMPANY

[Murakami] Yes, obviously.

We'll be the first country to do it if we go through with it.

For now, stay at the office of the prime minister.

And then contact me if anything changes.

Got it.

However, Vice President Murakami,

something else concerns me.

[Murakami] What?

Can they even manage to open up the valve without any electricity?

The Control Room can't just flip a switch to open it.

Even if it's approved by the Prime Minister's Office,

how will they even do it?

[debris crunching]

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI MAIN ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING CORRIDOR

[Yoshida] The main administrative building's in worse shape than I thought.

[Kinoshita] Yeah.

Do you think we'll find a solution here?

We're going to find out.

In order to vent, we need information about the valve's structure and wiring,

and the emergency operation room hasn't got it.

[men gasp]

[rumbling, clattering]

[Yoshida] Whoa. [groans]

Aftershock. Are you okay?

-[Kinoshita] Uh-huh. Everyone okay? -[man 1] Yes.

-Great. -[man 2] I'm good.

-[Yoshida] Okay, move on carefully. -[Kinoshita] Let's go.

I understand it roughly.

But how much radioactive substance should they release?

How much will it be?

Yes, uh,

just a sec. [clears throat]

How wide should the evacuation area be?

Uh, so… Well, it's, uh…

-[man] Mr. Minegishi, your thoughts? -Well, uh, yes.

So in… in the event of a disaster,

evacuation procedures are in NISA's jurisdiction.

Can we keep the radius at 3 km. or do we need to extend it?

Well, the thing is,

there are many other factors to consider,

including the wind direction and the weather conditions.

-An exact number isn't easy. -What are TOEPCO's guys saying?

Well, sir,

the primary containment vessel could be destroyed if we do not act.

In order to stop that, venting's required.

Yes, I already understand why you're doing it!

Now I'm asking you what the consequences are.

You can't do it and then say it was a risk.

Who do you imagine will be held responsible?

And you're supposed to be experts?

The Nuclear Safety Commission is just a technological advisor.

It is not in our scope of work to organize information

and set safety definitions.

[man] Sir,

according to the numbers reported by TOEPCO,

a meltdown is already occurring as we speak.

600 kilopascals of pressure

is far beyond the 427 kilopascals

that the vessel was designed to withstand.

With regard to Unit 1,

if the pressure keeps rising and an explosion occurs, well, then,

it'll release large amounts of highly concentrated radioactive substance.

Venting would be almost nothing compared to that.

What do you consider large?

I can't say for sure,

but enough that no human could go anywhere near it.

And if it happens,

we won't be able to approach the reactors in Units 2 through 6 either.

All that we could do then is sit and watch the nuclear reactors

lose control one by one.

Venting it is then.

[man] Yes, sir.

[tense music playing]

NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-TEMPERATURE STEAM, COOLING WATER, TURBINE, CONDENSER

DOCUMENT STORAGE ROOM

[tense music continues]

-[Yoshida] Hey, everything all right? -Yes!

-[Kinoshita] Are you all okay? -Yes, I'm okay.

Over here!

Okay.

[tense music continues]

-There it is. -[Kinoshita] Yep.

How's the plumbing and wiring?

[tense music continues]

It's just like I thought. There's no other way.

Right.

The valve won't vent any other way.

[tense music continues]

[music fades]

[Maejima] Of course, I agree.

Yeah.

Since we don't have power, there's no way to open either valve

using the switches the Control Room has here.

To vent the reactor…

we have to send someone in

and then

open them manually, by hand.

I need you to

choose the operators to go.

Yes, sir. Copy that.

[hangs up]

[operator] All right.

Oh, hey, give that one a try.

[somber music playing]

[somber music continues]

WAKKANAI, HOKKAIDO PREFECTURE

[man] Any news?

Regarding Koki Kirihara? He's a station operator at Unit 4.

[TOEPCO employee] We still haven't made contact with him.

Both cellular and personal headset phone lines are down here.

He's missing.

What? What do you mean? You're so cavalier.

Why didn't someone contact us right away?

My wife called me in a panic after hearing it on the news.

[TOEPCO employee] Forgive us. It's complete chaos here at the moment.

I assure you, we're still searching for him.

[keys jangle]

[sighs] Did you hear? You think it'll be okay?

Who knows?

Unit 1's pressure level is dangerous.

If it explodes, I wonder what's next?

Oh, here we go.

As we feared, the primary containment vessel's pressure is increasing.

The power company reported that they need to open a valve

in order to…

To release the nuclear containment vessel's pressure.

Director Sasaoka is here to explain in more detail.

Uh… Uh, I am Sasaoka from TOEPCO and,

after much debate,

and consulting with the Nuclear Safety Commission

and Industrial Safety Agency,

with a great deal of regret for the citizens living in the area,

uh, the government has made the decision to follow a standard protocol.

The pressure will be released gradually.

Uh, this procedure is in place and

it's what we've decided to apply in this case.

Uh, first of all…

the pressure will

be decreased in Unit 2.

But wasn't it Unit 1 that they said was in danger?

Uh-huh.

Venting will start with Unit 2 then?

I do PR for TOEPCO. My name is Ochi.

Please forgive us.

According to a recent report,

Unit 2's emergency cooling system is in fact working.

Uh, venting might be necessary for Unit 1.

[reporter 1] What? Hold on.

Radioactive substance will get released into the air.

-Are they sure it's not harmful? -When will they start the venting?

[cameras clicking]

Um…

The on-site workers have been instructed

that the process has to be completed by 3:00 a.m. today.

[reporter 2] But it's already past 3:00 now!

Uh… Uh, no. Well, you see… Uh…

That was actually just a reference time.

They have some preparations to complete first, so…

[reporter 1] This is such a mess.

Did you warn the residents there yet?

It's happening currently.

I'll be sure to get that confirmed.

[reporters chattering]

Sir, is something wrong?

NISA and TOEPCO are both worthless now.

And no one around here will give us any straight answers.

Well, new information doesn't really get to us here.

We could return to the center for crisis management?

Fukushima's next.

You… you will go, sir?

Yes.

Mr. Yoshida

has ordered us

to vent the vessel.

All of the local residents will be ordered to evacuate.

Once they're gone, we'll enter via the reactor building…

in order to complete the vent.

Right now, we need to decide who will be the operators to go in.

If you're willing to go inside…

raise your hand.

I'll be the first.

Is there anyone else who will volunteer?

I'll volunteer to go with you.

Maejima,

you should stay.

We need you here so you can keep leading us.

[Osugi] He's right.

Sir, you need to stay here.

We can handle it.

I'll go in as well.

I'm going too!

[operator 2] I'll go in too.

[Todoroki] So will I.

I'm sorry, but I really don't want to send in the young guys.

[indistinct chatter]

Did we get a current read?

No, that was the last report.

[Kinoshita] But I'm sure it's gone up since then.

[tense music playing]

[Maejima] Three teams of two will go in to open the valves.

Team number one…

will be Furuya

and Osugi.

Gotcha.

All right.

The team going next…

will be Shimoda and Kumagaya.

Third and finally…

is Ozawa

and Tsuda.

Got it.

This is Maejima from the Control Room of Units 1 and 2.

We've chosen our men with no issues.

We'll get ourselves ready to go in.

[Kinoshita] We have a report from Maejima.

They're preparing to go inside now.

All right, I want

all of them back safely, no questions.

[tense music playing]

Get the equipment.

Everything we've got in here!

Oxygen, survey meters, and clothing. Masks too.

Get it all

to their Control Room.

And right away!

[all] Yes, sir!

[workers clamoring]

[tense music continues]

[exhales]

[tense music continues]

Can't you make him change his mind?

The prime minister can't leave his office during a disaster!

And what if he gets exposed to the radiation?

Any fanfare could delay work at the site as well.

I've already tried!

He said he's made his decision.

You know him. Once he's made up his mind, it's done.

Kataoka, is everything ready?

Yes. Got the helicopter.

[telephone ringing]

The prime minister's on the way?

[Murakami] It would appear he wants his own read on it.

No problem. Displaying all six sites. Looks like the line is working.

Yeah. Hopefully the connection continues to be stable.

[sighs] But we can't deal with him right now.

It's just too busy here. Can't you just figure out how to decline?

[Murakami] He's insisting on it.

And if you refuse, he'll think that we're trying to hide things.

He's already upset because we've been so slow reporting to him.

That's the deal.

Anyway, he's in Tokyo,

and at 6 a.m., he's leaving there.

Deal with it.

Yep. All right then.

Have him bring his own protective gear and mask with him though. Okay?

There's not enough equipment to give to our workers here on-site as it is.

[telephone rings]

Yeah, well, I need you to cover that.

Come on now, sir. No!

A mask only gets a single use due to the contamination.

What if we don't have enough to take care of the actual workers here?

You have to get it done. It's on you, Yoshida!

Uh, the prime minister and his entourage are headed here.

Get ready to greet them.

-Yes, sir. -Okay.

[Yoshida] Where's that trash can? There. Okay.

[helicopter whirring]

[director] Are you rolling?

-[cameraman] Uh-huh. -[director] Keep filming.

-Okay. -Great.

Yeah.

I can see it.

-Get some shots of him getting out. -Okay!

Thank you for making the trip, sir. I'm Ando from TOEPCO.

We're so sorry about this.

That's enough! We don't have time for chitchatting!

How is it still not venting?

If the containment vessel bursts, Fukushima's uninhabitable.

Yes, we're currently preparing to vent as quickly as we possibly can.

Sir, wait.

-[man 1] Go that way to decontaminate. -[man 2] Shoes off over there.

One at a time.

FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI ENTRANCE TO SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING

[man 3] Next, please!

[man 4] Okay, backs of your feet.

[man 1] Start from the head.

[man 4] Okay, put it down. Other foot.

Okay. You're all clear.

-Over there, please. -[man 1] Stand still.

[man 4] Next, please.

[man 5] Can we please speed it up?

-[man 6] There's still some left. -[Azuma] Hurry it up!

[man 5] Sir, we're almost done, I promise. This way, please.

[man 7] Please remove your shoes!

-Wait, please! -We're moving now.

We don't have this kind of time!

Leave your shoes here and put these on.

What's taking so much time? We're way past schedule.

SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING

Well, we can't measure the water or pressure levels now,

so the workers have to go in and check manually

and preparations are taking longer than--

Yes, I'm aware.

You had all of that information and you still said 3 a.m.

Since then, it's been over four hours!

Apologies, sir. We're working as fast as we can to get it done.

I'm sick of hearing that nonsense.

How long will it be till you vent? How much time do you need?

Uh…

Yes, well, we're waiting for the power to come back to open it electrically.

-Roughly three more hours. -Three hours? What?

Why do you keep on postponing this thing?

Can you really get it done?

And then what's the next excuse when those three hours are gone?

[Yoshida] I promise we'll get it done.

I'm the manager, Yoshida, sir.

[door closes]

As I said, we will get it done.

-You're Yoshida? -Yes, sir.

I'll explain.

In order to vent…

the MO valve and…

the AO valves must both be opened.

Usually, the MO valve is opened with electric power and the AO valve with air.

The issue is that there's no electric power.

So there's only one way.

We enter the reactor building,

go to the locations of the valves…

and get them open

manually, by hand.

The first valve, the MO valve, is on the second floor.

It's right over here.

And the second valve, the AO valve,

must be accessed from the first floor of the building.

Heading for these stairs,

they'll walk all this way, then go down to the first basement floor.

Next…

they'll have to walk halfway around the reactor.

[somber music playing]

This here…

is the AO valve's location.

The radiation dose there is at 150 millisieverts per hour

at the entrance of the building alone.

That's a great deal of radiation exposure to take in under one hour,

as the annual limit is 100.

And around the AO valve,

the estimated levels are at over 300 per hour.

[somber music continues]

The portable dosimeter is set to sound the alarm at 80 millisieverts.

Even if they run back directly after,

they're only 20 away from 100.

We're not sure if they will even make it back to Control.

They won't have light,

so they'll have to work

using headlamps and flashlights.

And the aftershocks keep rolling in.

So, who will you send?

The workers in the Control Room.

Exposure to radiation is certain.

They're a forlorn hope.

The very least

we can do

is get them as ready as we can before then.

Please give us a bit more time.

[somber music playing]

I understand. Keep it going.

Okay.

Thank you.

[somber music continues]

[Furuya] So I'll go first up that ladder on the second floor.

[Osogi] Okay, sounds good.

[Furuya] Once we're at the top, we'll walk along the grating.

It'll be very narrow.

[Omura] The oxygen tanks will be in our way.

Then we'll see it. And there are some handles.

I'll check on those numbers.

[operator] Okay.

Did you get any rest yet, Furu?

[chuckles]

Like I could rest now.

[chuckles] You're not even sleeping, huh?

-No. I'm not even tired. -[Osugi laughs]

Yes, sir.

The prime minister is here.

He took a helicopter to the seismic isolated building.

During a national emergency…

he's got lots of free time.

[men chuckling]

[Maejima] Right?

But… I suppose that's how serious this issue is.

What an ordeal.

Just because you were on duty today

and assigned to the Control Room for Units 1 and 2.

Our first team to enter…

Furuya, Osugi…

thank you so very much.

And I thank the young workers who volunteered.

Once we get the order to head in,

those three teams will go and open up the valves.

Let's get it done.

If all else fails…

I'll go in at the end.

Stop the camera.

I said stop it now!

I mean it.

No more filming, okay?

Forlorn hope.

[telephone ringing]

[telephone continues ringing]

Yes, this is Maejima.

The residents are all evacuated.

[Maejima] Okay.

The venting should start.

Copy that.

Team 1…

it's time now.

-Yes, sir. -Sir.

[somber music playing]

[somber music continues]

[breath hissing through mask]

[somber music continues]

[music stops]

[somber music playing]

[somber music continues]

[music fades]