TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach – 5 March 2021 – NHK WORLD-JAPAN, the English-language international service of Japan’s sole public broadcaster, NHK, today announced it will present a collection of premiere and encore programming to mark the 10-year anniversary the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, which spurred a tsunami, a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and mass destruction along Japan’s east coast. The programming event airs throughout March and April. Descriptions of all programs in “3.11 — 10 Years On”, including multilingual videos (Burmese, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese) are available on this special web page
One of the highlights is the international TV premiere of Ken Watanabe – A Copassionate View: The Decade Since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Japanese Hollywood star Ken Watanabe (“Last Samurai”, “Batman Begins”, “Godzilla”, “Transformers”) raised international attention for the disaster and has listened to the stories of more than 20,000 people in the past decade. The documentary follows the actor as he visits the communities most affected by the disaster and gets to know its victims. The program airs Saturday, March 6. (UTC)
Another international TV premiere, Generation March 11: Their 10 Years Journey, tells the stories and follows the progress of the lives of children born in the disaster areas. Part of the anniversary programming is also a new documentary on one of Japan’s most prolific and award-winning stop-motion animation artists, Tomoyasu Murata, and his work commemorating the victims of the disaster, broadcast as a special edition of the Anime Supernova series.
Among the encore programs marking the 10-year anniversary of the disaster is 3/11-The Tsunami, a two-part documentary that made its international broadcast premiere in January 2021. (Thai subtitles available.) (Indonesian subtitles available.) The series combines footage from NHK camera crews with mobile phone and other video captured by citizens who were on scene during and after the earthquake and tsunami, and the country’s recovery efforts of the following year.
About NHK WORLD-JAPAN
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan’s sole public broadcaster, operating the nation’s largest domestic and international television network. In Japan, NHK broadcasts six TV channels including 4K and 8K along with three radio stations. NHK also transmits two international television channels, NHK WORLD-JAPAN (English, HD, 24/7) and NHK WORLD PREMIUM (Japanese, HD, 24/7), as well as international radio services in 18 languages. NHK WORLD-JAPAN reaches over 380 million households in 160 countries and regions via local satellite and cable TV providers. Online live streaming and VOD (video-on-demand) services through the free mobile app and the website, give viewers access to NHK WORLD-JAPAN anywhere and anytime. You can also connect through Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Presenting an extensive range of Asia-centered programming, NHK WORLD-JAPAN is your window to Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. For more details, visit nhk.jp/world.
