NHK Documentaries

Alexievich's Journey from Chernobyl to Fukushima Part 2: Fukushima, A Chronicle of the Future (2017x51)

Ausstrahlung: Jul 29, 2017

The Chernobyl nuclear accident devastated Alexievich's home country of Belarus, spurring her to document the disaster and explore the problematic relationship of humans and the atom. After the March 2011 Fukushima disaster -- like Chernobyl a Level 7 major accident -- she hoped to visit Fukushima Prefecture to hear the voices of "the little people" there. More than 5 years after the accident, her hopes were realized in November 2016. In Odaka and Iitate, towns that were completely evacuated, she encounters people determined to carry on, and others whose family committed suicide in despair. What do Chernobyl and Fukushima share? What does the future hold? We examine Fukushima today, through Alexievich's eyes.