"Pour water into the nuclear power plant" Water discharge of death What on earth is behind the scenes ... March 30 16:51
March 2011.
TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has lost all power and melted down.
In order to stop the "runaway" of the nuclear power plant, it was necessary to add water to cool the nuclear fuel in a high radiation dose.
"Desperate water discharge" that can be life-threatening.
It was the Self-Defense Forces that took the heavy responsibility.
At that time, the water was discharged from the helicopter, which everyone watched with a sigh.
What was happening behind the scenes?
After 10 years, there is something new to us.
(Social Department Kei Nishi Muta, Ryotaro Minami, Good Morning Japan Tetsuro Igarashi)
Unit 3 explosion There was the Self-Defense Forces
The existence of the Self-Defense Forces was first highlighted on March 14th in the nuclear accident.
At 11:01 am, Unit 3 exploded with hydrogen.
A nearby Self-Defense Forces member was involved and four people were injured.
Fortunately, none of the four had a different life.
There were members of a unit called the "Central Special Weapons Protection Corps" of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
Captain Shinji Iwakuma (59).
At the request of the government's local countermeasures headquarters, it was supposed to start injecting water from the ground to Unit 3 at 11:00 am.
Shinji Iwakuma, Captain of the Central Special Weapons Protection Corps (at that time)
"When I was in front of Unit 3 and tried to get out of the car by opening the door, an explosion occurred. The sound was different from any explosion I've heard in my life as a SDF officer. "
Iwakuma lay down in the car.
Suddenly, fragments of the building blown away by the blast fell one after another from the sky.
Iwakuma still can't forget the sight of debris falling like slow motion.
Central Special Weapons Protection Corps, a specialized unit for dealing with nuclear and biological / chemical weapons.
However, the training was not conducted on the assumption that the nuclear accident would be dealt with directly.
The Ministry of Defense's nuclear disaster response plan at the time stated that the SDF's mission was "off-site," that is, guiding residents to evacuate outside the site of the nuclear power plant and measuring radiation levels.
However, in the face of the worst accident in history, that premise was fragile and broken.
From this day onward, the Self-Defense Forces will take the lead in dealing directly with the unprecedented nuclear accident.
The tense Japan-US record revealed for the first time
"Why were they on the premises of the nuclear power plant?"
One SDF officer doubted his ears when he heard that Iwakuma and his colleagues were involved in a hydrogen explosion.
Koichi Isobe (63), Director of the Defense Planning Department of the Joint Staff Office.
As an assistant to the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Ryoichi Oriki, the top of the Self-Defense Forces, he saw and heard a series of decisions up close and recorded them in his notebook.
Mr. Koichi Isobe, Director of Defense Planning Department
, Joint
Staff Office (at that time)
"In the nuclear disaster response plan, although the mission was to be done off-site, the Central Special Weapons Protection Corps was there. Local measures The information that the headquarters requested was not fully communicated. It was around that time that the Self-Defense Forces began to look at the nuclear power plant. "
As the serious situation continued, the government set up an integrated countermeasures headquarters with TEPCO in the early morning of March 15.
As a country, it is a clear form of dealing with accidents.
Then, from that time on, it was the water discharge from the sky by the SDF helicopter that began to be talked about.
More than 500 nuclear fuels were stored in the Unit 3 fuel pool.
The loss of all power made it impossible to cool the water, and the water in the pool continued to evaporate.
If water was not added as soon as possible, there was a risk that a large amount of radioactive material would be released.
On March 16, the Self-Defense Forces attempt to discharge water from the sky for the first time.
Tungsten sheets were placed on the floor of the helicopter to prevent exposure to members as much as possible.
A synthetic resin plate was attached to the side surface.
It was a quick measure.
A helicopter that pumped up seawater and approached the sky above the nuclear power plant.
However, the radiation dose was so high that I had to give up the water discharge on that day.
According to Isobe's records, after 10 pm that day, the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Oreki was having a telephone conversation with a person.
The opponent is the commander Burton Field, who is the top of the US Forces Japan.
Here, a tense exchange was exchanged over the water discharge of the Self-Defense Forces.
Isobe was familiar with the situation of the US military and was a coordinator and liaison.
Both remarks were written clearly.
For the first time in this interview, I revealed the details.
<Oriki Joint Staff length>
"can not be executed, but I tried today. Again to try tomorrow."
<Field commander>
"is not grasp the exact situation. Circumstances that are not experts can fully understand,"
"even more severe nuclear power plant In that case, it is possible to evacuate Americans. It depends on the president's decision. "
Immediately after the earthquake, the US military dispatched more than 20,000 soldiers to the disaster area.
It provided support for supplies and removed debris.
"Operation Tomodachi," which supported Japan in crisis, appealed the "strong Japan-US alliance" both inside and outside the country.
A shock ran among SDF executives when the United States suggested the possibility of evacuation from Japan.
Furthermore, the next day, 17th, 7:00 am.
Oreki was told by phone by Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top of the U.S. military uniforms in Washington.
<Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maren>
"The GOJ (Note: Government Of Japan) may not have been properly judged. I am dissatisfied with the disclosure of information to the United States. Should be controlled "
According to Isobe, SDF executives had decided that "tomorrow will definitely release water" even before the telephone conversation with Malen and Field.
On the other hand, it is also true that these voices, which can be regarded as "pressure" from the United States, led to the determination that "even if you take some risks, you must do it."
What does "water discharge" mean?
And on March 17, 2011, 9:48 am.
The Self-Defense Forces decided to discharge water from above the nuclear power plant.
Two CH47 helicopters were on duty.
A total of 30 tons of water was dropped toward Unit 3 four times.
The radiation dose measured just before the water was discharged was 87.7 millisieverts per hour at an altitude of 90 meters.
It was still a very high value, but it was judged to be within the permissible range.
It is still unknown after 10 years how much this water discharge had the effect of cooling nuclear fuel.
However, when the U.S. military learned that the Self-Defense Forces had risked water cannons, it subsequently praised it.
Isobe believes that it was because he decided to release the water that he was able to retain the trust of the United States at the last minute.
Mr. Isobe
"If Japan does not take the initiative, the United States cannot come to help. A well-known saying among us is," The allied forces will come to help, but please share your destiny. There is a saying, "No." At that time, I felt that the essence of the alliance was struck. "
At that time, Commander Field suggested to Oreki the possibility of "evacuating the United States."
This time, we responded to our interview.
He said that in the worst case, he was forced to evacuate from the area around Tokyo in the background of the American side's remarks.
U.S. Forces Japan Commander (at that time) Burton Field
"No one understood what was happening inside the reactor, and I was frustrated that the information did not come out fast enough. But I had to wait a bit because of the worst disaster in the world. For whatever reason, if we evacuated, I was going to be the last one. "
“I thought it was children's soccer”
At that time, water was discharged to the nuclear power plant not only from the sky but also from the ground.
Masato Taura (59), Deputy Commander of the Central Readiness Force of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
From March 18th, as the director of the local coordinating office located in "J Village", he coordinated the Self-Defense Forces, police, fire department, TEPCO, etc.
Taura also clearly recorded what happened at that time and the interaction with the Integrated Response Headquarters.
From there, you can see the confusion at that time.
<Memo on March 19>
"By tomorrow 0500 (Note: 5 am), spray 50 tons of water twice, and the Self-Defense Forces will discharge it to # 4 (Note: Unit 4)!" Is it up to 0500, why is it watering 50 tons twice, why is it the Self-Defense Forces ??? The headquarters does not answer anything. "
" Despite adjusting the water discharge by the Self-Defense Forces in the morning, TEPCO will start construction from 0500. Therefore, the headquarters instructed to wait for the water to be discharged. No one could answer the question as to whether the cooling by the water was first or the construction was first. "
Taura still has an unforgettable sight.
One day, a relatively large aftershock occurred.
Everyone was concerned about the impact on Unit 4, which was in a particularly serious situation at that time.
At the Integrated Countermeasures Headquarters located at the TEPCO head office, members were glued to the data shown one after another.
Taura who was participating in the video conference.
At that time, I asked:
"What is the water level in other reactors?"
No one was there.
Everyone concentrated on Unit 4 and did not check the status of other reactors.
"Everyone is chased by what happened in front of me and I can't see anything else. I thought it was like children's soccer. Children will all gather in the ball, that's the feeling. Nuclear accident. I thought that the essence of crisis response was being questioned as to how far we were able to understand the overall situation of the country. "
Are the “worst ever” accident lessons learned?
Koichi Isobe was watching the tense exchanges between Japan and the United States over "helicopter water discharge" up close.
After retiring six years ago, he interviewed more than 50 people involved in the Self-Defense Forces and the US military, hoping to verify their response to the nuclear accident.
And the lessons learned there are passed down to the next generation.
March 11th, 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident.
Isobe was in the Togobakuryo School, where active executive self-defense officials learned.
And he told his juniors like this.
"Operation Tomodachi is a good story. However, it is also true that a lot of conflicts and suspicions swirled behind the good story. We have to keep learning from the nuclear accident that the Japan-US alliance reached the brink. should not"
Until the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Self-Defense Forces were not supposed to deal with the accident on the premises of the nuclear power plant.
However, in the face of an unprecedented accident, the government had no choice but to rely on them.
A thread that connects Japan and the United States, which should be tightly tied.
However, before the unprecedented accident, the thread was about to break.
How to deal with unexpected situations.
No, how can we get rid of the unexpected?
What is the essence of crisis response?
Our society, which has been faced with so many difficulties and helpless feelings in the "worst-ever" accident, has been in every situation for the past 10 years, whether or not to repeat the same thing. I should have continued to make efforts.
It has passed 10 years ever since.
Now, our society is facing a new crisis of unknown infectious diseases.
Is the experience at that time being put to good use?
(The title is omitted in the text at that time. Age is at the time of coverage)
Social section reporter
Toshi Nishimuta
2011. He joined
starting salary areas Okinawa stations
two years the Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces in charge until the summer of last year
the earthquake at the time of the fourth grade of the upcoming graduating from university
Social section reporter
Minai Ryotaro
2011. He joined
starting salary place Yokohama station
Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces in charge in the summer of last year
for the first time interview in Fukushima in February of nuclear accident the following year
Good morning Japan director
Tetsuro Igarashi
Joined the
station in
2007 When the
earthquake struck
, he
was the director of the Hiroshima station, where
he
started
to cover radiation effects in Fukushima.