Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

On March 11, 2011, a catastrophic 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated Japan, triggering three nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in what became the costliest natural disaster in recorded history. Yet this manga does not focus on the disaster itself. Instead, it follows Kazuto Tatsuta, an amateur artist who volunteered for the perilous cleanup effort at the facility the workers simply called “Ichi-F.” His story captures the grueling reality of the decontamination work, the struggles endured by local residents, and the profound bonds forged among the predominantly blue-collar crews tasked with confronting the invisible, insidious threat of radiation every single day. After six months on the job, Tatsuta reached the maximum annual radiation exposure permitted by law, forcing him to step away from his crew. This mandatory hiatus gave him the opportunity to produce this unprecedented, unauthorized, and award-winning account of daily life inside the plant. Driven by a desire to show the public the true nature of the work being done, he created this memoir out of a firm belief that understanding these realities is vital to the future of his country.