0:00:02.166,0:00:07.820
I am so excited to be here[br]at such a wonderful event as this

0:00:07.820,0:00:09.845
and talk to you all.

0:00:11.000,0:00:15.610
This picture shows our press conference[br]held on March 19

0:00:15.610,0:00:18.000
right after we finished filling

0:00:18.000,0:00:21.000
the parched fuel rod storage pool[br]of Reactor 3

0:00:21.000,0:00:26.600
of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant[br]with tons of water

0:00:26.600,0:00:29.780
after working without a stop.

0:00:30.430,0:00:33.700
Please raise your hand[br]if you've seen this photo before.

0:00:33.700,0:00:34.760
Great!

0:00:34.760,0:00:36.680
Some of you might not have seen it,

0:00:36.680,0:00:39.480
but it's up on YouTube[br]so that you can check it out later.

0:00:39.480,0:00:40.470
(Laughter)

0:00:40.955,0:00:45.160
This press conference was held immediately[br]after we got back from Fukushima,

0:00:45.160,0:00:47.070
so I didn't even have time to shave.

0:00:47.070,0:00:50.340
But I had enough time to get a clean shave[br]before coming here today.

0:00:50.340,0:00:51.880
(Laughter)

0:00:53.000,0:00:59.930
Today, I want to invite you[br]into the world of fire fighting

0:00:59.930,0:01:05.579
as I talk about our mission in Fukushima[br]that we experienced.

0:01:06.500,0:01:11.280
But as my time here is limited,[br]I would like to ask those on the stage

0:01:11.280,0:01:14.330
to wear the helmets[br]of the Tokyo Fire Department

0:01:14.330,0:01:17.380
to participate in this experience[br]together with us.

0:01:19.560,0:01:22.860
(Applause)

0:01:22.860,0:01:25.544
Thanks for your cooperation.

0:01:26.000,0:01:32.770
The Great East Japan Earthquake[br]occurred at 14:46 on March 11th.

0:01:33.000,0:01:38.060
It was the fourth largest megaquake[br]in history of magnitude over 9.

0:01:40.000,0:01:42.330
The tsunami waves[br]were over 10 meters high.

0:01:42.330,0:01:45.500
The scale can only be expected[br]to happen once in 1,000 years.

0:01:45.500,0:01:50.680
10,000 people died[br]and over 5,000 people are still missing.

0:01:52.000,0:01:56.090
I pray for the souls of those[br]who perished in this calamity,

0:01:56.090,0:02:00.466
and my heart goes out to those[br]who are afflicted by it.

0:02:03.440,0:02:05.870
Very few people realize

0:02:07.080,0:02:12.272
that this megaquake also[br]inflicted damage in Tokyo.

0:02:12.690,0:02:15.680
The earthquake in Tokyo triggered by it

0:02:15.680,0:02:18.170
was level 5 intensity[br]on the Japanese scale,

0:02:18.170,0:02:21.390
and over 34 cases of fire spread[br]were reported at the same time.

0:02:21.700,0:02:25.590
Being in charge[br]of fighting fires in Tokyo,

0:02:25.590,0:02:29.630
I wanted to take care of fires[br]in Tokyo first as quickly as possible

0:02:29.630,0:02:32.800
to send out the emergency rescue teams

0:02:32.800,0:02:38.947
to the Tohoku region[br]where a lot of help was needed.

0:02:39.900,0:02:42.280
That was all I thought about.

0:02:44.000,0:02:48.300
Then, to our shock, as you know[br]the reactor 1

0:02:48.300,0:02:52.250
of the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant[br]exploded on the morning of the 12th.

0:02:52.720,0:02:56.170
We couldn't believe it[br]because we had been told

0:02:56.170,0:02:59.110
that the plant would survive[br]even a plane crash into it.

0:02:59.740,0:03:03.910
Then on the 14th,[br]there was another explosion in Reactor 3.

0:03:05.400,0:03:09.782
As you all know,[br]there are 6 nuclear reactors at the plant,

0:03:10.100,0:03:15.733
and Reactors 1 to 4 of all 6[br]exploded one after another.

0:03:18.000,0:03:23.000
We learned that the loss in power[br]of the cooling infrastructure

0:03:23.000,0:03:27.470
caused lowering[br]the cooling water levels in the reactors.

0:03:27.470,0:03:30.460
Since nuclear disasters[br]are normally handled

0:03:30.460,0:03:35.900
by the central government[br]as they are state secrets,

0:03:37.640,0:03:40.580
the Self Defense Force[br]sent out two helicopters

0:03:40.580,0:03:43.580
to pour water into them from above.

0:03:43.580,0:03:47.000
But the level of radiation was so high

0:03:47.000,0:03:50.560
that they were unable to get close enough[br]to complete their mission.

0:03:50.560,0:03:54.710
The police departments also sent in[br]their water cannon truck,

0:03:54.710,0:04:00.669
and tried to pour water into the fuel tank[br]but this didn't work well either.

0:04:01.370,0:04:05.040
Although the Tokyo Fire Department[br]is responsible basically only for Tokyo,

0:04:05.040,0:04:08.210
and not for the nuclear power plants,

0:04:08.210,0:04:11.520
we thought that we might[br]get summoned for help

0:04:11.520,0:04:16.750
as we are the experts [br]in firefighting and water pumping.

0:04:18.000,0:04:21.440
So this was the time[br]when we decided to start our research

0:04:21.440,0:04:24.060
about how to handle this kind of case.

0:04:26.000,0:04:31.000
The Tokyo Fire Department[br]has 81 fire stations.

0:04:31.000,0:04:34.750
Every fire station has rescue units.

0:04:34.750,0:04:38.000
The most highly trained men[br]recruited from these units

0:04:38.000,0:04:41.000
were organized into 4 hyper rescue units,

0:04:41.000,0:04:44.650
and positioned in 4 of the 10[br]district headquarters.

0:04:45.770,0:04:48.910
We learned from the experience[br]in the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995

0:04:48.910,0:04:51.000
that dispatching them is crucial[br]at the time of disaster.

0:04:51.000,0:04:58.000
Out of the 4 units, one unit[br]had been already dispatched

0:04:58.000,0:05:02.000
to Kesennuma in the Tohoku region.

0:05:02.000,0:05:05.020
So there were 3 units left, then.

0:05:08.000,0:05:12.760
Although nuclear power plants[br]are not included in our responsibilities,

0:05:12.760,0:05:15.160
as countermeasures for, for example,

0:05:15.160,0:05:18.660
a radiation leak accident at a laboratory[br]or a nuclear terrorist attack,

0:05:18.660,0:05:21.110
we had already been training ourselves

0:05:21.110,0:05:23.540
to get ready for handling[br]radiation disasters,

0:05:23.540,0:05:26.420
by making our own standards[br]and equipments.

0:05:26.420,0:05:30.030
This chart shows those standards.

0:05:30.030,0:05:36.480
The maximum allowed radiation exposure[br]at one time should be 30 millisievert.

0:05:39.000,0:05:43.000
But it could be raised[br]up to 100 millisievert

0:05:43.000,0:05:46.000
when we need to save lives of people.

0:05:46.000,0:05:50.000
However we would never[br]send out that rescue worker

0:05:50.000,0:05:54.400
to handle another nuclear case[br]in the rest of his firefighting career.

0:05:54.859,0:05:57.863
Evaluating with experts[br]in the nuclear field,

0:05:57.863,0:06:01.000
we set the upper limit of radiation level[br]we could tolerate.

0:06:01.000,0:06:04.380
We were supposed to work[br]within 2 km of the plant.

0:06:04.380,0:06:08.000
If the men are exposed to radiation[br]at the upper limit of 100 millisievert,

0:06:08.000,0:06:11.000
they would be overexposed[br]on their way back,

0:06:11.000,0:06:16.000
so we decided to set the upper limit[br]at 80 millisievert.

0:06:16.000,0:06:21.550
Now the so-called protective wear[br]that is shown in the upper right corner

0:06:21.550,0:06:25.230
is, from my perspective,[br]not really protective.

0:06:25.580,0:06:27.400
It is "dust-proof."

0:06:27.830,0:06:31.690
It may protect us from dust[br]contaminated by radiation

0:06:31.690,0:06:33.800
but not from radiation itself;

0:06:33.800,0:06:39.070
radiation penetrates through it[br]as if we were in a microwave oven.

0:06:39.980,0:06:44.840
So what was crucial was to control[br]the amount of time of radiation exposure.

0:06:46.360,0:06:51.530
By March 15th and 16th,[br]we knew that cooling the fuel rods

0:06:51.530,0:06:55.000
was the immediate target[br]that we had to aim for.

0:06:55.000,0:06:56.870
The whole nation must have worried

0:06:56.870,0:06:59.250
as to how the reactors[br]would be cooled down.

0:06:59.250,0:07:05.330
On March 17th, I gathered[br]all the hyper rescue units in Tokyo.

0:07:05.330,0:07:09.580
And we walked through[br]3 strategic operations

0:07:09.580,0:07:13.460
to figure out what we should be doing

0:07:13.460,0:07:17.860
in order to minimize the amount[br]of exposure with minimum resources.

0:07:18.710,0:07:24.000
It was still cold in Fukushima[br]with snow scattering.

0:07:24.000,0:07:28.070
Because the plant is facing the sea,[br]winds were strong.

0:07:28.780,0:07:33.070
So we looked into how winds[br]would impact our operations.

0:07:35.000,0:07:40.000
What I was most concerned about[br]was not the fact

0:07:40.000,0:07:44.000
that all the hyper rescue units[br]would be leaving Tokyo.

0:07:44.000,0:07:47.000
I understood it[br]because this was a national crisis.

0:07:47.000,0:07:52.470
My concern was that the radiation levels[br]at the scene were already 400 mSv

0:07:52.470,0:07:55.500
and they were increasing[br]at the rate of 100 mSv a day.

0:07:55.500,0:07:57.630
So, we worried[br]that by the time we arrived,

0:07:57.630,0:08:01.000
it would be about 600 mSv per hour.

0:08:01.000,0:08:05.570
This means that we could only work there[br]for 10 minutes at one time.

0:08:06.000,0:08:11.000
So my suggestion was to gather[br]the hyper rescue teams

0:08:11.000,0:08:13.400
from the 81 fire stations,

0:08:13.400,0:08:20.170
and for my members to instruct them[br]on how to carry out the operation.

0:08:21.760,0:08:23.140
But all the captains said,

0:08:23.140,0:08:27.000
"Let us do it. [br]We will be there on the front line."

0:08:27.000,0:08:30.000
I said to them, "But you have men[br]too young for this job."

0:08:30.000,0:08:32.000
But they all said, "We will go ourselves.

0:08:32.000,0:08:34.380
We all have been trained[br]for a day like this,

0:08:34.380,0:08:36.000
and we have good teamwork."

0:08:36.000,0:08:38.730
I really had a hard time [br]making the decision.

0:08:39.000,0:08:42.000
I eventually decided[br]to take the hyper rescue teams.

0:08:42.000,0:08:46.100
I let the members[br]to go back to their own stations.

0:08:50.740,0:08:54.750
At 0:50 a.m. that night, to my surprise,

0:08:54.750,0:08:59.000
we received an operation order[br]from the Prime Minister.

0:08:59.000,0:09:02.000
I wanted to have more time[br]to evaluate the situation

0:09:02.000,0:09:05.000
to minimize the damage[br]that might be inflicted on my teams,

0:09:05.000,0:09:07.000
but we ran out of time.

0:09:07.000,0:09:12.000
I gave the members an order[br]to come in at 2 a.m..

0:09:12.000,0:09:16.660
We conducted a takeoff-ceremony,[br]and arrived at Fukushima by 8 a.m..

0:09:18.230,0:09:22.950
This is a picture taken just[br]after Reactor 3 exploded.

0:09:24.440,0:09:30.230
Our strategy was to set a super pumper[br]where the arrow on the left is pointing,

0:09:30.230,0:09:36.200
and set up a water tower truck[br]with the elevating squirt

0:09:36.200,0:09:43.130
beside Reactor 3 of which[br]you see the smoke is coming out.

0:09:45.630,0:09:48.630
We would connect the hose[br]and set the nozzle

0:09:48.630,0:09:51.630
at the proper angle beforehand.

0:09:51.630,0:09:56.980
Then we would extend a hose of 150mm[br]in diameter by car along that blue line,

0:09:56.980,0:10:00.190
because that is the shortest route.

0:10:01.310,0:10:03.390
Once we connect those hoses,

0:10:03.390,0:10:06.390
our mission would be complete.

0:10:06.390,0:10:11.370
I estimated that we could complete[br]this whole process within 7 minutes.

0:10:15.100,0:10:16.580
I had a meeting

0:10:16.580,0:10:20.100
with Tokyo Electric Power Company[br]and the Government,

0:10:20.100,0:10:25.100
and the Tokyo Fire Department[br]asked us to start at 5 p.m..

0:10:25.100,0:10:28.160
We got ourselves ready at J-Village,[br]the command center,

0:10:28.160,0:10:32.660
20 kilometers from the nuclear power plant[br]and headed out from the place.

0:10:32.660,0:10:35.660
While I waited at J-Village,

0:10:35.660,0:10:38.610
since the location of the plant[br]can't be reached

0:10:38.610,0:10:42.800
by either mobile phone or fire radio, [br]or satellite phone,

0:10:43.280,0:10:46.280
I couldn't do anything but waiting there[br]after sending them off.

0:10:46.280,0:10:49.630
After 5 p.m., the Government[br]kept calling me to ask about the progress.

0:10:49.630,0:10:52.170
"What is going on?"[br]"Has the mission been completed?"

0:10:52.170,0:10:54.090
I said to them, "I have no idea,"

0:10:54.090,0:10:55.740
but they kept on asking.

0:10:55.740,0:10:57.750
When my teams came back,[br]they said to me,

0:10:57.750,0:10:59.790
"The situation was worse than expected."

0:10:59.790,0:11:01.670
The captain came back past 7 p.m..

0:11:01.670,0:11:03.860
I asked him,[br]"Was the operation successful?"

0:11:03.860,0:11:07.240
He said, "No, we couldn't[br]even have a chance to pump out water."

0:11:07.240,0:11:09.890
I said, "You were exposed[br]to radiation for nothing?"

0:11:09.890,0:11:11.370
I felt desperate.

0:11:11.370,0:11:14.570
He said, "No. Only our recon team entered.

0:11:14.570,0:11:19.090
It took time because they[br]examined the area to figure out

0:11:19.090,0:11:25.090
where to position the pump[br]and how to spread out the hoses.

0:11:25.090,0:11:28.480
Our main mission team[br]remained outside the gate."

0:11:28.480,0:11:31.510
I said, "So, we have[br]one more chance, don't we?"

0:11:31.510,0:11:35.510
But they had to extend[br]the hose for 800 meters.

0:11:35.510,0:11:37.510
The place marked in red here

0:11:37.510,0:11:40.510
was covered with the rubble[br]and outdoor tanks

0:11:40.510,0:11:43.470
so a car could not enter there.

0:11:43.470,0:11:45.640
They had to carry the hose by hand.

0:11:45.640,0:11:47.880
I thought "These hoses[br]are too big and heavy

0:11:47.880,0:11:51.230
for people to drag and extend.[br]It has never been done before.

0:11:51.230,0:11:53.130
To make matters worse,

0:11:53.130,0:11:56.150
it is pitch black out there[br]with high levels of radiation.

0:11:59.270,0:12:02.910
Our men could be exposed[br]to even more unexpected dangers."

0:12:02.910,0:12:08.020
But I didn't have any hesitation[br]to give them the go-ahead.

0:12:08.020,0:12:10.840
I had no choice but to do it.

0:12:10.840,0:12:14.070
We couldn't afford to retreat[br]and restart with a different strategy

0:12:14.070,0:12:17.840
because the level of radiation there[br]was getting higher and higher.

0:12:18.190,0:12:24.320
The last option I was left with[br]was to secure my teams' safety.

0:12:24.660,0:12:27.520
We all planned as best we could.

0:12:28.950,0:12:32.950
We decided to split the teams into two

0:12:32.950,0:12:37.870
and have each team extend hoses[br]from both the nozzle and the water truck.

0:12:37.900,0:12:41.830
Furthermore we added a bus at each side[br]because we needed a lot of people

0:12:41.830,0:12:46.000
who stood by to take turns[br]in order to execute the mission.

0:12:47.610,0:12:49.630
I said to the members,

0:12:49.630,0:12:52.870
"As soon as your geiger count shows[br]the level of 80 mSv,

0:12:52.870,0:12:56.100
you should leave your equipments behind[br]and return to the bus,

0:12:56.100,0:12:59.850
and then the next team would go[br]and take over the job."

0:12:59.850,0:13:03.100
After I explained this strategy to them,[br]we moved on to execute the second plan.

0:13:03.480,0:13:05.850
Today, I wanted to demonstrate

0:13:05.850,0:13:08.850
how a 150mm hose is extended.

0:13:08.850,0:13:11.850
but the Tokyo Fire Department[br]didn't let me do it

0:13:11.850,0:13:14.230
because it's not something[br]that is done by hand,

0:13:14.230,0:13:16.470
and asked me to show the picture instead.

0:13:16.490,0:13:19.790
The hose I am using to explain[br]to the Governor of Tokyo in this slide

0:13:19.790,0:13:21.570
is just one-tenth of the whole thing.

0:13:21.570,0:13:24.490
But the real hose[br]is 50 meters long, 100 kg each.

0:13:24.490,0:13:28.540
They had to extend[br]more than 7 hoses like this in the dark.

0:13:28.820,0:13:31.800
Our second operation started.

0:13:31.800,0:13:34.790
Because we discussed[br]for three and half hours,

0:13:34.790,0:13:36.800
it started after 11 p.m..

0:13:36.800,0:13:40.800
This is the picture[br]when we had a meeting at the gate.

0:13:40.800,0:13:45.800
And this is the water tower truck[br]with the elevating squirt,

0:13:45.800,0:13:48.800
which can pump out[br]38,000 liters of water per minute.

0:13:48.800,0:13:51.240
This is how they tried[br]to extend them, then.

0:13:51.240,0:13:54.180
Now, I have a surprise for you.

0:13:55.300,0:13:57.900
Captain Takayama, please come over here.

0:13:59.030,0:14:00.340
This is Captain Takayama Yukio.

0:14:00.340,0:14:01.790
He can explain better

0:14:01.790,0:14:04.570
because he is the one[br]who led the men on the front line.

0:14:04.570,0:14:07.840
(Applause)

0:14:13.220,0:14:14.600
Captain Takayama,

0:14:14.600,0:14:17.840
what was the hardest thing[br]at that time for you?

0:14:17.840,0:14:21.130
Takayama: As you said,[br]it was tough to execute the mission

0:14:21.130,0:14:23.690
while securing the safety[br]of our men at the same time.

0:14:23.690,0:14:26.230
It was obviously dangerous,[br]but we couldn't run away.

0:14:26.230,0:14:28.590
Maintaining this balance[br]of executing the mission

0:14:28.590,0:14:30.990
and keeping my men's safety[br]was very tough for me.

0:14:31.820,0:14:35.190
Yasuo Sato: How did you know[br]the pumping of water was successful

0:14:35.190,0:14:38.340
when you finished at 00:30 a.m.?

0:14:40.690,0:14:44.560
Takayama: After I gave the order[br]to start pumping water,

0:14:44.560,0:14:48.490
the moment I saw water[br]gushing out of the hose,

0:14:49.420,0:14:54.170
it looked as if it were from heaven:[br]the water from God.

0:14:54.710,0:14:57.900
We all felt full of excitement,[br]and thrusted our fists into the air.

0:15:00.070,0:15:05.080
YS: In fact I wanted[br]all three of us at this press conference

0:15:05.080,0:15:08.180
to be on this stage today[br]as a special surprise for you.

0:15:08.180,0:15:11.120
(Applause)

0:15:13.450,0:15:17.890
However, Captain Tomioka, [br]on the left side of the picture,

0:15:17.890,0:15:20.570
he is now in Spain.

0:15:20.570,0:15:26.210
Prince of Asturias in Spain gave us[br]Prince of Asturias Concord Prize

0:15:26.210,0:15:29.010
for our brave achievement,[br]so Captain Tomioka went there

0:15:29.010,0:15:31.150
to attend the ceremony yesterday.

0:15:31.150,0:15:31.910
(Applause)

0:15:31.910,0:15:32.790
Thank you.

0:15:32.790,0:15:36.300
(Applause)

0:15:42.560,0:15:48.680
Since I couldn't bring all three of us,[br]I have prepared another special surprise.

0:15:49.470,0:15:51.530
Please, come in.

0:15:52.230,0:15:54.040
(Applause)

0:15:59.510,0:16:05.080
I have just told you that we[br]extended 100-kg hose in the dark.

0:16:05.080,0:16:08.080
This outfit is 25-kg itself.

0:16:08.080,0:16:12.810
So the firefighters had to extend[br]a 100-kg hose in this 25-kg outfit.

0:16:13.550,0:16:14.880
Thank you for this trouble.

0:16:14.880,0:16:16.910
You can take off your mask.

0:16:18.190,0:16:20.230
Let me introduce to you,

0:16:20.230,0:16:24.700
our firefighter, Kei Mishima.

0:16:24.700,0:16:26.970
(Applause)

0:16:26.970,0:16:28.210
Thank you.

0:16:28.370,0:16:31.250
You should wait to applause[br]till you hear this story, though.

0:16:31.250,0:16:32.300
(Laughter)

0:16:32.570,0:16:34.790
He is the man who manipulated

0:16:34.790,0:16:39.520
the water tower truck[br]with the elevating squirt at Reator 3.

0:16:39.520,0:16:41.350
(Applause)

0:16:41.620,0:16:48.279
He operated it in the dark, pouring water[br]50 meters away and 30 meters high.

0:16:48.279,0:16:50.689
(Applause)

0:16:50.880,0:16:54.959
He had a 1-year-old daughter this March.

0:16:54.959,0:16:59.300
And another daughter[br]was newly born on September 22nd.

0:17:00.090,0:17:02.999
That means when he was assigned[br]to the mission in March,

0:17:02.999,0:17:07.030
he had an infant child, and his wife[br]was expecting the second child.

0:17:09.290,0:17:11.320
Despite this fact, he decided to go.

0:17:11.320,0:17:13.380
His spirit as a firefighter[br]really moved me.

0:17:13.380,0:17:15.380
(Applause)

0:17:23.470,0:17:27.810
As I said, we are well-equipped

0:17:27.810,0:17:31.760
and well-trained;[br]we closely share information.

0:17:32.390,0:17:34.880
But these are not the only factors

0:17:34.880,0:17:40.220
that help us to be brave enough[br]to go into such life-and-death situations.

0:17:41.190,0:17:44.450
As I have just mentioned[br]the family of Mr. Mishima,

0:17:44.450,0:17:47.450
it is our family love that matters[br]and supports us most.

0:17:47.450,0:17:53.070
When I told my wife that the project[br]had been successfully off the ground,

0:17:53.070,0:17:57.590
Her response, as some of you[br]might have heard in the press conference,

0:17:57.590,0:17:59.300
was an email from her, saying,

0:17:59.300,0:18:03.080
"Please be a savior of Japan."

0:18:03.080,0:18:07.880
This empowered me [br]and gave me the support I needed.

0:18:09.310,0:18:11.330
It has been 60 years

0:18:11.330,0:18:14.670
since the Tokyo Fire Department[br]was established.

0:18:14.670,0:18:17.670
It was the first time in its history

0:18:17.670,0:18:24.300
that the guard manager rushed[br]to the scene as the chief commander.

0:18:24.500,0:18:28.280
It will probably never happen again.

0:18:31.780,0:18:34.160
So, why did I go?

0:18:34.160,0:18:37.430
As this is not a press conference now[br]I can be honest with you.

0:18:37.780,0:18:40.440
I didn't go there[br]to take command of the team.

0:18:41.230,0:18:45.040
The Fire Commissioner and I[br]discussed it, and I decided to go.

0:18:46.410,0:18:50.750
Captain Takayama is better[br]at taking command than I am.

0:18:51.220,0:18:57.220
My first purpose to go there[br]was to secure the safety of our men.

0:18:57.290,0:18:59.760
The second purpose[br]was to make final decisions

0:18:59.760,0:19:05.290
in a rapidly change situation[br]that could be fatal any time.

0:19:05.380,0:19:07.660
And the third was

0:19:07.680,0:19:10.010
to take responsibility.

0:19:12.500,0:19:14.500
The situation was so severe

0:19:14.500,0:19:18.500
that I thought that half of them[br]would not be able to return home.

0:19:18.500,0:19:23.720
I am so happy to have been able to send[br]every one of them home to their families.

0:19:23.720,0:19:28.070
(Applause)

0:19:45.420,0:19:50.250
This mission in Fukushima[br]was just one example

0:19:50.250,0:19:52.630
of our operations in firefighting.

0:19:52.630,0:19:55.840
During the disaster[br]of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake,

0:19:55.840,0:20:00.240
over 27,000 emergency response fire teams[br]from all over Japan,

0:20:00.390,0:20:04.490
and over 100,000[br]of emergency rescue team members

0:20:04.490,0:20:08.240
rushed to the afflicted Tohoku areas.

0:20:08.240,0:20:12.240
And we received offers of aid

0:20:12.240,0:20:18.560
from 197 different countries, regions[br]and institutions all over the world.

0:20:20.270,0:20:23.270
Having been through disasters,[br]I keenly feel

0:20:23.270,0:20:27.390
that the development[br]of civilization and culture

0:20:27.390,0:20:32.270
has been made possible[br]by the ties between people.

0:20:32.270,0:20:36.270
Now, the Tohoku region is doing[br]its best in the process of recovery,

0:20:36.270,0:20:42.480
and everybody is working together[br]to overcome the hardship.

0:20:42.480,0:20:45.560
Will you support them hand in hand, too?

0:20:45.560,0:20:49.830
(Applause)

0:20:53.630,0:20:57.130
I believe that the human race[br]has been developing,

0:20:57.130,0:21:00.910
overcoming various difficult phases[br]with these human ties,

0:21:00.910,0:21:04.420
and I believe we can[br]recover from this disaster

0:21:04.420,0:21:06.570
as long as we get together.

0:21:06.570,0:21:08.070
Let's all hang in there!

0:21:08.110,0:21:10.280
Although it was a short time,

0:21:10.280,0:21:13.890
thank you for joining us[br]in the world of firefighters.

0:21:13.890,0:21:18.040
(Applause)

0:21:44.300,0:21:46.370
Thank you, Mr. Sato.

0:21:46.370,0:21:48.120
(Applause)

0:21:51.610,0:21:56.080
Host: Since Mr. Mishima is here,[br]let's ask him some questions.

0:21:58.030,0:22:00.100
How did you feel when you heard

0:22:00.100,0:22:02.720
that an operation order[br]came from the Prime Minister?

0:22:02.720,0:22:05.920
I imagine various thoughts[br]crossed your mind.

0:22:05.920,0:22:09.970
Will you tell us[br]about what you thought then?

0:22:10.090,0:22:15.370
Mishima: To be honest, I hadn't thought[br]that I wouldn't have a chance to go there

0:22:15.370,0:22:19.380
when I first saw the news[br]of the nuclear plant on TV.

0:22:20.710,0:22:26.450
When I learned that I was going,[br]I had mixed feelings of fear

0:22:26.450,0:22:32.110
and a sense of responsibility[br]that we had to succeed in this

0:22:32.110,0:22:35.970
even more so because it's something[br]nobody else had ever experienced before.

0:22:35.970,0:22:39.010
However, honestly,[br]I didn't know what to do.

0:22:39.800,0:22:43.290
Host: How did you tell your family?

0:22:43.290,0:22:49.970
I assume that the rest of your family[br]felt the same as you did.

0:22:51.260,0:22:56.010
Mishima: Well, all I knew[br]about nuclear accident was Chernobyl

0:22:56.010,0:22:59.355
and the further horrible cases[br]of the atomic bombs

0:22:59.355,0:23:01.425
at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

0:23:02.465,0:23:07.355
As mentioned before, my wife[br]was in the early stages of pregnancy,

0:23:07.355,0:23:09.715
and I didn't want her to lose our baby.

0:23:09.715,0:23:13.375
I couldn't trust myself to call her[br]and so sent her a casual sounding e-mail

0:23:13.375,0:23:16.235
as if I were heading for a pub[br]for a couple of beer,

0:23:16.235,0:23:20.245
like, "I need to go, because[br]we got an order from the Prime Minister."

0:23:22.335,0:23:24.245
And everybody responded, saying,

0:23:24.245,0:23:26.925
"Go! That's such a prestigious order."

0:23:26.925,0:23:29.135
I received an email from my wife, saying,

0:23:29.135,0:23:31.328
"You're a firefighter, so do your bit."

0:23:31.328,0:23:33.358
Sounds a bit bossy, doesn't it? (Laughter)

0:23:33.358,0:23:35.831
In reality it actually[br]was a really supportive push.

0:23:35.831,0:23:39.015
But when I was really focusing[br]on the mission ahead in pitch black,

0:23:39.015,0:23:42.115
my wife sent me an email, saying[br]"I am heading to bed," (Laughter)

0:23:42.115,0:23:43.205
which was kind of sad.

0:23:43.205,0:23:46.695
(Applause)

0:23:49.620,0:23:54.750
Host: Could you send out a message[br]to the 260 of great minds here,

0:23:54.750,0:23:59.640
and to the people watching this[br]over the Internet?

0:24:02.040,0:24:07.330
Mishima: Honestly, I was delighted[br]with the success of the mission.

0:24:08.870,0:24:12.860
I believe that we got over[br]the worst part of the crisis.

0:24:12.860,0:24:16.650
But unfortunately the situation[br]hasn't settled down yet,

0:24:16.650,0:24:20.260
and there are workers still working[br]in dangerous situations as of today.

0:24:20.260,0:24:26.650
The people affected by the tsunami[br]are quite far from full recovery,

0:24:26.650,0:24:29.650
so I can't feel happiness to the fullest.

0:24:30.530,0:24:33.530
But when the afflicted people tell me,

0:24:33.530,0:24:36.530
"Good work! You've given us[br]the courage to take a step forward."

0:24:36.530,0:24:41.480
That is the moment that I feel[br]that our mission was successful.

0:24:42.480,0:24:44.170
And one more thing.

0:24:44.170,0:24:46.490
Firefighters are not heroes.

0:24:46.490,0:24:49.350
We aren't invincible.

0:24:49.350,0:24:55.540
When I came home and held my daughter,[br]and saw my newborn baby,

0:24:55.540,0:24:59.820
they made me realize[br]how happy I was to have made it home.

0:25:01.350,0:25:03.160
Excuse me...

0:25:06.680,0:25:09.700
(Applause)

0:25:12.500,0:25:18.178
I think that you can't protect others[br]unless you can protect yourself.

0:25:18.178,0:25:21.197
That's what Captain Takayama says too.

0:25:22.849,0:25:26.662
But, if I see people calling for help

0:25:27.672,0:25:33.122
I will do my best to help them[br]even though it's way out of my ability,

0:25:33.281,0:25:38.203
so that they can appreciate[br]being back home just as I did.

0:25:38.934,0:25:40.008
Thank you very much.

0:25:40.008,0:25:41.495
(Applause)

0:26:29.670,0:26:33.616
Mr.Sato, Mr.Mishima and Mr.Takayama,[br]thank you very much.

0:26:33.627,0:26:36.707
(Applause)