The Road to Recovery

In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the infamous accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant scattered radioactive materials over a wide area, causing 160,000 people to evacuate their homes at the height of the disaster. However, ongoing decontamination work has since greatly reduced the size of the exclusion zone. In addition, with a few exceptions, radiation levels in most areas have now returned to normal levels. Those who work in the agriculture and hospitality industries in Fukushima Prefecture have long had to put up with the damage done to the area’s reputation. Nevertheless, they have come to accept these reputation problems as a fact of life and are now working harder than ever before to overcome them by providing safer, more appealing products and services with a sense of pride and backed by stringent inspection standards. This program introduces the people of Fukushima Prefecture who, having overcome many crises in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, are now taking positive steps to move forward.
Reporter: Kanako Sachno