FILM: Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Promotional Documentary (1985)

Editor’s note: This week, we are pleased to feature contributions from Sofia University graduate students enrolled in Tak Watanabe’s 2011 spring semester classes in Tokyo, Japan. We begin with a film translation and subtitling project of a Japanese documentary that details the construction of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.*

Nichiei Kagaku Eiga Seisakujo. 日映科学映画製作所 [Nichiei Science Film Production]. 1985. Fukushima no Genshiryoku. 福島の原子力 [Nuclear Power of Fukushima]. YouTube video, 27:00, posted originally by “habingo2,” April 02, 2011, part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sspp6D8giHc, part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTshYXmN1AY (Japanese). English subtitled version by Kudakwashe Mutenda and Keiko Nishimura, posted by “collabo311.” 13 September 2011. 
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFkkRr-gMww, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E90DeDzpus.

As the unprecedented Fukushima nuclear disaster continues to unfold, “How safe was the Fukushima Nuclear Plant?” continues to number among one of today’s most frequently asked questions. The 27-minute promotional video, Fukushima no Genshiryoku [Nuclear Power of Fukushima] introducing the then newly constructed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, does more than answer this question affirmatively, at least from the perspective of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The video was made by TEPCO in 1987 for the general public and uses very simple and easy to understand language to explain the complex mechanism and processes of nuclear energy production.

The eloquently narrated video informs us of the history of the creation and operation of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, from the selection of the construction site, its construction, preliminary tests, energy generation, implementation of safety measures for both workers and the community, measurement of radiation and the disposal of nuclear waste. Various musical melodies that suggest harmony between the nuclear plant and the environment runs throughout the background of the video. A combination of animation, real life pictures, and videos taken during the plant’s construction, operation, and from daily life in Fukushima, are used to make the material easier to understand. On the other hand, music evocative of a James Bond movie also cues in scenes that seem to suggest awe of the scale of the human technological and architectural accomplishment.

Since the video was made for the general Japanese public, it is very easy to understand and entertaining to watch. This English subtitled version of the original video makes apparent how the concept of safety was stressed throughout the documentary with constant repetitions of the words and phrases “carefully,” “thoroughly,” “attentively,” “strictly monitored,” and “one by one.” According to the video’s narrator, Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant was considered state-of-the-art technology when it was constructed in 1966 as a marvel in size and as the epitome of safety within the nuclear industry worldwide.

According to the Science Film Museum in Japan, the video was actually shown in Japanese movie theaters as a documentary film and many people went to see it.

– Kuda Mutenda and Nishimura Keiko

前代未聞の福島原子力事故の実情が徐々に明らかになるにつれて、「福島原子力発電所はどのくらい安全だったのか？」という疑問が今日最も聞かれるようになった。この1987年に東京電力によって製作された27分に及ぶ福島原子力発電所の宣伝映画は、少なくとも東京電力の立場から、その質問に答える以上の内容となっている。一般市民に向け、平易かつ分かりやすい言葉で、原子力技術の複雑な仕組みが説明されている。

この宣伝映画は雄弁に福島原子力発電所の歴史を語っていく。建設場所の選択から建設過程、諸系統の試験、燃料装荷と起動試験、保守点検、労働者と周辺地域のための安全基準、放射能や放射性廃棄物の処理などについてが説明される。映画全体を通して、原子力発電所とその環境の調和を表現するために様々なBGMが使われており、原子力発電所の建設過程や営業運転、そして福島での人々の生活を撮影した写真・実写映像やアニメーションが効果的に組み合わされ、視聴者の理解を助けるようになっている。

本映画全体を通して、安全性というものは決して軽視されてはいない。「用心深く」「徹底的に」「注意深く」「ひとつひとつを」「厳しく監視」などの言葉の使われ方からもそれは明らかだ。1966年の建設当時、福島原子力発電所は疑い無く世界で最も技術を結集した、安全性の権化のような驚くべき建設物であった。

一般向けに作られていることからも分かるように、この宣伝映画は分かりやすく親しみやすい内容となっている。本作は当時劇場で公開され、多くの日本人が見に訪れたと言われている。

– クダ∙ムテンダ ＆ 西村恵子

*This documentary was translated and subtitled as a part of a course assignment in the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University. The resulting subtitled video is hosted by a collaborative web project organized by Sophia University graduate students, collabo311, of which one of the translators of the Fukushima power plant video, Keiko Nishimura, is a member.  Collabo311 reports on and analyzes cultural reactions to the events of 3.11 and includes various media, from Internet to architecture, spanning topics from radiation to animation.