NHK to broadcast programmes on life after disaster

Tuesday 06 Sep 2011
NHK, Japan’s national public broadcaster, will air programmes this week that will address what life has been like in the affected region after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.

The series of special programmes on 10-11 September marks six months after the twin disasters struck.

While progress is seen in the disaster-stricken areas, many victims are struggling to rebuild their lives from scratch. NHK will address the issues that need to be solved and the challenges faced by the survivors.

Goro Taguchi, who heads NHK’s cross-department project on the 11 March Japan earthquake, said: “We want to fulfill our missions as a public broadcaster by delivering programmes that support the recovery and encourage people. I would also like to share with the world the latest situation of the disaster stricken areas”.

Titles include The Great East Japan Earthquake: Six Months of Lumbering Reconstruction and The Great East Japan Earthquake: The Unknown Threats of Mega-Tsunami.

Six Months of Lumbering Reconstruction looks at the elements that have hindered the reconstruction of many disaster-struck areas, including a lack of financial resources and the ongoing nuclear crisis.

The Great East Japan Earthquake: The Unknown Threats of Mega-Tsunami uses footage to re-examine the destruction caused by the tsunami. The documentary will also broadcast on the English-language service, NHK World TV, on 1 October.

NHK will also re-broadcast Surviving the Tsunami as well as documentaries from NHK’s local stations on 11 September.