BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
Where are Kinoshita and Tateno?
They were already headed in. Maejima left to bring them back.
Kinoshita!
Tateno!
Hey!
Kinoshita! Tateno!
Stop!
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 1 REACTOR BUILDING ENTRANCE
Both of you! You gotta head back!
-Huh? -Just head back.
-But why? What is it? -Just do it.
Head back!
Head back, Kinoshita!
Do it. Turn around!
White smoke from the exhaust stack?
CONTROL ROOM FOR UNITS 1 AND 2
I mean, what could that be?
We're not sure.
We might not be able to reach the reactor building.
Mr. Maejima, it's dropping!
Sir! It keeps going down.
What does?
-The pressure in the vessel. -What?
As of 2:30 p.m., it's at 610 kilopascals and falling.
The white smoke, it's water vapor from the nuclear reactor.
The compressor worked.
Mr. Yoshida said he'd try to open it from the outside
by connecting a compressor to the AO valve.
Yeah. That's what I heard.
Was the venting successful then?
I guess it was, yeah.
So then we did it.
You really think it's all right?
What a relief that is.
Really. It's great.
Yeah. It's fine for now.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI FRONT OF UNIT 1 TURBINE BUILDING
Trade places.
When you're done over there, can you help us next?
-Got it! -Over here.
Can you measure the radiation here too?
If the diagram's accurate, the water supply outlet should be near here.
All right, let's try to move the debris a little further away.
-Sounds good. -Watabe, help him.
-Yes, sir. -I'll help too.
Okay.
-Careful over there! -Is here good?
Go slowly. Please be careful.
Take your time.
Make sure the hose doesn't bend. Switch with me. Okay.
I can see it!
-Get help with the excavator. -Yes, sir.
Motoyama plus four more reporting. We've got the fire truck here.
We're searching for the water supply outlet.
Sergeant Motoyama, prepare for water injection.
Yes, sir!
Okay. It's turning. Hurry!
-It's in. -Copy.
One, two, three!
-Take it away. -Okay.
There you go. Careful. Got it.
There it is!
I've found the water supply inlet!
WATER INLET (FOR INTEGRATED HYDRANT SYSTEM)
They located the water supply outlet.
-20 meters from the truck. -All right.
There's no need to rush. Be careful.
It's connected. Send the water in.
Copy.
Send in the water!
We just got word from TOEPCO saying the venting was a success.
Consequently, the primary containment vessel should cool down
with only a trace of radioactive substance being released,
which will not affect anyone's health immediately.
This being the case, we would like to reassure the public
that, for now, it's best to remain calm.
-Well, that's good news for now. -Yeah.
I'm counting on you.
Sergeant Hayami!
Oh, Mr. Yoshida.
EMERGENCY OPERATION ROOM
We can't be reached by the local fire department.
So we can't begin to express how very grateful we are
that you could assist us now.
It's nothing.
The thing is we are running low on fresh water.
Yeah. I was just thinking that. What's next?
Now we're thinking of injecting seawater in parallel.
Are you able to secure a pathway to the ocean?
Getting the water to a building ten meters above sea level
is physically impossible.
To reach the landing, you have to take the coast down.
Um, you know where I mean?
Oh, that's the pier that's located over by the sea, right?
Yes. The work would have to be completed down there.
I understand.
If we're hit by a tsunami again,
the whole fire engine could be taken by the tides.
Well, we also have family members in Fukushima
and I promise we'll do all that we can.
Don't hesitate to give us orders.
Thank you. Best of luck.
MARCH 12, 3:36 P.M.
Did the head office agree to injecting seawater?
There's no running water. That toilet's a disaster.
We'll have to get on that.
Never mind that.
What did the head office say?
This is an emergency. They can't say no.
Yeah, you're right.
What happened?
Full masks on. Everyone, face masks!
Yes, sir! Get the masks. Hurry!
Let's go.
-Get 'em on! -Here they are.
-Here, sir. -Over here!
Thank you.
An earthquake?
Something's not right.
I'll find out from Control.
Emergency Operations.
-What happened? -Mr. Maejima?
What is it? What's the deal?
Huh?
I thought something happened over there.
No. Sorry.
We have no idea either.
We just heard a loud bang.
What was the cause?
I'm sorry. I don't know. We'll check on it right away.
Wait, hold on!
You stay safe in there.
Priority is to keep the operators secure.
We'll figure out the cause later.
Okay.
The… the fifth floor of the reactor building's gone!
Wait, sir! Where are you going?
-You can't breathe that air! -I have to see it myself.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING, FIRST FLOOR
What's going on?
-Hey, you okay? -Push down harder there.
-Are you okay? -This is bad.
We're really in trouble here.
Hang on.
I'll stop the bleeding. Just bear with.
Bring me water and some towels.
On it.
-Hang on. -What does the meter say?
This reads up to 100,000 and it was off the scale.
The outside air penetrated the seismic isolated building.
-So it's the same in here as out there. -Got it.
Get that door closed and have it sealed with some duct tape immediately.
Hang in there.
Cover that back door with anything you can. Keep the outside air out.
-And make sure everyone's okay. Hurry! -Yes, sir!
Hang in there.
-Excuse me. -Thanks.
Are you okay?
FRONT OF SEISMIC ISOLATED BUILDING
-This way! -It exploded!
The power station blew up!
We're getting out of here ASAP!
Hey, hey, hey, hey! Are you okay? Are you--
The reactor building. It just exploded.
Hurry up! Get him inside!
Keep your mask on.
EPISODE 5
There's white smoke coming out of Unit 1 reportedly.
What's the meaning of that?
Well, we still haven't heard back yet from TOEPCO's guys.
I'm sure it has to be volatile.
Volatile? How so?
Be more specific. What is it? Explain it in detail.
Well, you know, you're really asking the wrong person.
It's not a fire or explosion, or anything like that, right?
Oh, no, sir, of course not.
The primary containment vessel couldn't possibly just have exploded as it is.
Put the TV on! Quick!
What you're seeing now is the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
at 3:40 p.m.
In Fuku--
White smoke is rising from Unit 1
of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
Smoke…
A big cloud of smoke is rising from the power station
and it appears to be blowing toward the north.
Could you see that?
What you're witnessing is the Fukushima…
What is this, Mr. Minegishi?
They're saying it's exploded.
What's this now? Didn't you just say that it couldn't explode?
Chief Wakiya, what's going on!
Yes, sir, I… I'll confirm it right away.
Get me TOEPCO!
Vice President Murakami.
An explosion's occurred.
Is it the reactor?
I'm sorry, but we're still trying to figure that out ourselves.
Are you kidding?!
It's live on television right now! Just ask the workers at the station.
It's pretty chaotic over there.
-They don't know what-- -How can you be so calm?
An explosion has happened here! Understand?
-I do. -Goddamn it.
I'll get more info.
What the hell is happening over there?
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 1
We've almost made it. Hang in there.
We're better off leaving it in. It'll stop the bleeding as it is.
It's gonna hurt, but you'll be okay.
Are you okay?
Radiation check. Right over here.
Here. Can I get a radiation check?
Just lift your hands up.
We'll clear the path.
Give me that piece of wood.
The thin one.
And I think there was a towel in the truck. Bring it over.
Zero One, Zero One. This is Zero Zero. Over.
Zero Zero, this is Zero One. Go ahead.
Zero One, are you okay?
Yes, sir. Are you safe, Sergeant Major?
Yes, I'm fine. What's the situation?
Well, we're all alive, thankfully.
I got a badly injured TOEPCO envoy.
The hoses are destroyed. We won't be able to pump water.
I've just got to the seismic isolated building. You should head back.
We'll stop pumping for now. We need a new plan.
Roger that.
Gather up!
The Self-Defense Force team is back.
One of our workers was severely injured, but it's nothing life-threatening.
Everyone else is safe with only minor injuries.
That's good.
I'm glad.
Thank goodness.
Oh, I'm so glad.
What was it? Was it hydrogen that exploded?
I believe that it was.
The workers that returned had six millisievert readings.
If the containment vessel had actually exploded,
the readings would have been much higher.
Yeah.
Although now the containment vessel's in open air.
And if that gets damaged,
radiation will leak out, spreading through the atmosphere.
Yes.
We need to cool it down.
Can the water injection go on?
Uh, it cannot.
The hoses took ten hours to put down and they were all destroyed in the blast.
They're completely useless.
-We'll lay the hoses again. -Sergeant Hayami.
What? You'll lay them again?
There should be hoses in the fire hydrants outside.
We'll collect them and we'll lay new lines down,
so we can pump fresh water and seawater.
And the fire engine? Is it even still operating?
We can't be sure.
If it isn't, then we will use the one from this station.
The one that was left behind by Units 5 and 6.
Yes, but… But these roads, you can't get through.
We'll get rid of all the debris.
-Thank you, Sergeant. -Not at all.
We're here to offer our support to you and your whole team.
All of that debris is likely to be contaminated.
So I'll send our guys.
They'll handle moving it.
That would be great.
Hayami, sir!
As for the fresh water,
if there is any more, I don't know how much there'll be.
But for the freshwater line, let's forget it.
Just lay down the one from the sea.
Okay, copy that.
-Probably just water vapor. -Yes.
It's likely it was released by them somewhat, uh, intentionally,
uh, in order to release some of the pressure on the vessel.
We've just received an update.
According to TOEPCO,
the level of radiation at the nuclear reactor is normal at the moment.
So, the reactor didn't cause the explosion?
Right. It looks like the blast only affected the outside of the building.
Uh, the radiation level was only high at the time of the explosion.
It subsequently lowered and is now stable.
Uh, given this information,
we can assume that only the outer building exploded
and it was not a nuclear explosion.
Thus, the most likely scenario is that it was a hydrogen explosion--
And what's the story with the other units?
Are they still pumping water in?
Uh,
at the moment, there's still a great deal of confusion.
We're still awaiting new intel.
Anything. Whatever you do know.
Well, I haven't actually heard from them yet.
-Whatever. Get some intel quickly. -Of course.
I… I'm sorry.
Excuse me.
VICE PRESIDENT MURAKAMI
Uh-huh. Ah, yes. What's--
Huh?
Yes.
Okay.
Huh. I understand.
I'll let them know.
Goodbye.
What's going on?
Well, we've just received confirmation
it seems Tokyo is running out of electricity.
And because of that,
TOEPCO would now like
to carry out a planned outage of electricity.
A power outage?
They're struggling, as we expected.
It'll take them a while to re-lay that line.
Given the distance to the sea and the danger of tsunamis occurring,
it makes sense.
What's the quantity of working fire trucks?
I think I heard three were working.
There's no way. We can't move this stuff here!
-Let's clean up the wall side. -Yes, sir!
Move all the debris over there.
Wall side. We're on it. Let's go!
Hey, let's grab this one.
We're behind you!
Clear that.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 1
Sergeant Major,
is it safe
for us to be working here like this?
Don't think about how it'll affect your body.
Just focus on accomplishing our mission.
Sir.
Sergeant Major Hayami. It's Mr. Yoshida.
-Hayami. -Uh, Mr. Hayami.
What is it?
Listen. So I'm looking at this backwash valve pit.
Backwash valve pit?
Yeah.
It's a hole about nine meters long and 66 meters wide.
It's just an inspection hole.
What about it?
It's full of seawater that came in with the tsunami and, uh,
it's basically a big water reserve.
I see.
Well, it's quite large.
Yeah. If we can use that pool
and connect those three fire engines to the water,
we can relay the water continually.
And that would be much closer than laying hoses all the way to the sea.
That might work. We'll give it a shot.
Please do. Thank you.
-Shimura! -Yes, sir.
-Get everyone over here. -Okay.
Squad! Hold the work.
-Rally up over here. -Yes, sir!
-Kato! -Yes?
-Bring the station plans. -Copy.
-Excuse me. -Yes?
-The, uh, backwash valve pit… -Yeah?
Can you tell me where it's located?
Moving forward, we're laying a new pumping line.
Copy that.
So there's a red and a green indicator light?
CABINET CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER
And those indicate whether the IC valve is either open or closed, right?
Couldn't they tell if the valve was open by looking at the lights?
No. At the time, none of those indicators were lit.
But regardless, they knew something was wrong,
because the primary containment vessel's pressure was rising.
Then that suggests that the IC wasn't functional.
Yeah? When did it stop working, sir?
As I said, the station lost all of its power when the tsunami hit.
We haven't been able to gauge the reactors since then.
I can't say when it stopped working.
Excuse me, sir.
The Fukushima power station just checked in.
The pressure in the vessel that had gone down after the venting
is starting to rise up once again.
-Why is that? -The reason's unknown.
What do you mean? If the containment vessel explodes, then what's next?
Was the vent shut again?
Are they still injecting water?
Because of a lack of fresh water,
they're going to start injecting seawater presently.
I guess that's all we can do.
Hey, but the seawater isn't pure. Couldn't there be a recriticality?
Uh, what's TOEPCO saying?
"Recriticality," you said?
Minegishi, is that a possibility?
Well…
yes, that is always possible.
Will it happen?
Well,
if you're asking my opinion, I mean,
there is certainly a chance--
Come on! Yes or no?
What'll happen? Will there be a recriticality or not?
I will not allow them to continue if so.
And we would
also have to shut down the reactor for good.
I don't think we can worry about that now.
That's not even something we're discussing.
First, we have to know that it's safe to continue!
Ishizuka, how long before they start injecting the seawater?
Huh?
Uh, well, we've only injected fresh water up to this point,
so it'll take some time before they can switch over to using seawater.
Okay. How long?
At least one more hour.
All right then.
Let's take a recess for the time being.
We'll verify the safety of injecting seawater
and reconvene in an hour.
We'll resume our talks then.
Vice President Murakami is here from TOEPCO.
I called him here to find out about the planned power outage.
I apologize for all the commotion.
I had asked Ishizuka to report to you all,
but apparently his explanation was lacking.
Please, have a seat.
If the power stations that have been struck by the earthquake
in the Tohoku region continue not to operate,
then tomorrow, around 6 p.m., during peak hours, a blackout will occur.
And if it does,
there won't even be enough electricity to start the power stations up again
and all of Tokyo will be without power for days.
So we'll have to divide Kanto into five areas in order to avoid this.
And each area will have to perform
a planned electrical outage in their prefectures.
It is now unavoidable.
You're saying that as if it's nothing at all.
Then get the power stations that aren't nuclear working now!
You can't make that decision on your own.
Just calm down. hang on.
It's the weekend.
How are we going to notify all the hospitals and residents under home care?
Some of those folks can only breathe on respirators.
So, is there any chance you could reconsider the planned outage?
I'm sorry to say our situation is already dire.
It's a fact that we'll run out of electricity.
We cannot avoid it.
Then you need to tell all the larger companies
they need to limit their usage now.
We can't cut power to medical facilities and home care patients!
-These are their lives here, you know! -That's right! What's your plan?
You can't let people on breathing machines die.
That's not your decision alone.
This is an outrage!
What will we even tell the public? No one will accept that. It's not right.
There must be another way.
Yeah, it's Ishizuka. Sorry, I know you're handling the explosion.
What's the matter?
What's happening with the seawater?
It's a go.
The Self-Defense Unit is using the backwash valve pit water.
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI, NEAR BACKWASH VALVE PIT
-No rush here, fellas. -All right.
Coming through. Coming through.
Ah, that's not good.
Huh? Why do you say that?
Never mind. Stop it now!
It's already going.
There's no way I'd be able to stop it right now.
It needs to be cooled down as fast as it can.
Shut it! I need… We need them to stop it. Everyone is hounding me back here.
I don't think you understand--
The ministers are all saying they want us to verify it's safe first.
But if we say it's already begun, we'll lose face. Do you get that?
They will not be happy with us.
At this point, I can't worry about all that.
That is your issue to deal with, Mr. Ishizuka.
Just get those guys to stop injecting the darn seawater!
Got it? Handle it!
Idiot!
What do you think?
I think even big companies who need a lot of energy will understand.
Of course we've already asked our bigger clients to cut back on energy usage.
And they are complying accordingly.
As in your customers?
Over the sick and injured? You're prioritizing your clients?
No. That's not what I'm saying right now at all.
All I was saying is that there's no other course--
Oh, all right then!
Do what you have to do.
The Prime Minister's Office is officially objecting.
As a result, if anyone should die,
TOEPCO will assume the guilt
and you will be charged with willful negligence!
As he should be!
If a single person dies, we're holding you responsible.
-People's lives are at stake. -Unavoidable? No way.
Come up with another plan!
-Did you even think about helping? -It's the middle of the night.
-This is no way to handle this. -This is a disaster!
Let's… just take a break.
And then we'll return. Be back here in an hour.
We'll need to discuss the seawater issue as well.
Then we'll have more information about the planned outages.
TO-OH ELECTRICITY POWER COMPANY
TOEPCO HEAD OFFICE EMERGENCY DISASTER RESPONSE HEADQUARTERS
-The mic, cut it. -Yes, sir.
-Is Nishimura here? -Yes.
Clients will be back by now.
Any way you look at it, we'll be 10 million kilowatts short.
President Nishimura, sir.
I have an update regarding the planned power outage.
How was it received there?
They won't approve any of the planned outages.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Sano worries it'll kill patients on respirators
and other heart-monitoring devices.
Essentially, he said they'll charge us with murder!
So they want us
to cut power to our bigger energy users
and, uh, wait to do the outages
until we find ourselves a solution for those who'd be at risk.
Well, he doesn't understand the urgency of a blackout then.
Mm.
If there is a blackout, no one will have electricity,
whether they're hooked up to respirators or not.
Okay. Fine.
We'll tell our big clients
that we have orders from one of the ministers or the Chief Cabinet Secretary
and ask them to cut down their energy use more.
That's good.
PREPARING TO INJECT WATER FROM PIT
A building has exploded and they're still
concerned with what the Prime Minister's Office thinks.
These guys are crazy.
Are you okay?
Uh-huh.
I'm fine.
Kinoshita!
-Yes? -Got a sec?
Uh-huh.
Currently, the status of the nuclear reactor is still unknown
and TOEPCO seems to be struggling to handle it.
It's not looking good.
It's ready, sir!
So, the seawater injection?
Doing it now.
I thought Mr. Ishizuka instructed you to terminate that.
He did.
But how can we stop the work now?
We'd run out of fresh water as soon as we connected it,
but the seawater, it's unlimited here.
And us running out is no concern.
Yes. I'm aware of that.
However, they're asking us to verify its safety, so stop it.
They're asking if it's safe?
It's not gonna cause recriticality if that's the concern?
And we'd already begun the work without permission.
Even if we halt now, the ministers are gonna be fit to be tied.
I've already considered that possibility.
I'll just explain that you were doing an exploratory test injection.
This thing's pressure is at 540 kilopascals right now.
We don't have any time to waste here.
It's already done!
Now I'm not asking.
It's what I'm ordering.
Anyway,
just inject as much fresh water as you have left.
Prepare to begin cooling
going with our idea to use ocean water
as soon as the fresh water's out!
Suspend the seawater injection.
Suspend it. Everyone got that?
Use the remaining fresh water.
All the hoses should pump only fresh water.
Yes, sir.
Are we done?
It's done!
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NEAR UNIT 1
NEAR BACKWASH VALVE PIT
We were informed the water level is rising.
That's good.
I want to make sure we clear the rubble from the route to the sea
before we run out of water from the backwash valve pit.
Got it.
The water level's rising. It's exceeded TAF!
Yes!
-The seawater is successfully injecting. -Great.
You should take up acting, sir.
They really bought it over there.
They'd never guess we were doing it without their permission now.
I tell ya…
the Self-Defense Forces and our guys
are all out there risking their lives to do this.
I really can't just back down.
But I'll definitely be hearing about it.
We all understand who's doing the right thing.
And that is why we'll risk our lives here.
But it won't really matter
'cause I could die before I'm punished.
Yeah. You're right.
Venting had never occurred,
so we'll do the same with the injection.
We don't have a guide.
But we're in it to the end.
As such,
we'll have to make our own decisions.
And we're calling the shots here.