As Fukushima memories fade, Japan embraces a nuclear-powered future

Seiji Inada, who was part of the government's crisis response team when the nuclear disaster struck in 2011, poses for a photo during an interview with Reuters in front of the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

IWAKI, Japan, March 9 (Reuters) - Takuma Hashimoto was ⁠three years old when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, 2011, triggering nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant just an hour's drive from his home.

As the worst nuclear disaster since Chornobyl unfolded, his terrified family ⁠was trapped, unable to flee like their neighbours because they couldn't find gas for their car.