The Fukushima disaster workers
March 11, 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan which claimed the lives of 15,894. Within minutes of the quake the tsunami breached the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant's sea wall, knocking out power and crippling it. The subsequent nuclear meltdown caused a disaster which still forces 99,750 people to live as evacuees away from the contaminated areas. It is the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Tens of thousands of people have worked at the Fukushima plant since the crisis, risking their health with radiation exposure out of a sense of mission and loyalty among other reasons.
Getty photographer Christopher Furlong took portraits of some of the workers.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Shuji Hoshii works on the operation side of the water purification system at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Hoshi says the support of family has been really important as he lives away from home. His motivation is to stabilize the operation rate, in order not to release the contaminated water.
Contaminated water from the plant now exceeds 760,000 tons and radioactive water continues to leak into the ocean, though at a slower rate than before. It is a problem that has distracted workers from decommissioning the plant.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Akira Ono says he takes pride in his work. His job is very difficult, but his team works hard towards the goal of decommissioning the reactors and works as safely as possible not to worry people in Fukushima.
Three damaged reactors still need to be cooled with water to keep their melted cores from overheating.
Radiation levels are still high in the area. A 41-year old man who worked at the plant was the first to be diagnosed with cancer linked to the disaster, leukamia, in January 2014. He had worked on reactor buildings, according to the Guardian newspaper. The government provided financial compensation to the worker.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Masaya Uehara of Kajima Corporation works on the project to build the underground ice wall that will block the contaminated groundwater flow from the mountain side into the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.
Uehara says It is disappointing when some people have negative opinions about his job, but at the same time it encourages him to prove them wrong.
Regulator approval is needed to get the ice wall activated.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Kazuyuki Ogaki supervises the radiation dose of workers at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Ogaki is a Fukushima local. His children have not been able to go back to the house where they grew up ever since the disaster. Ogaki wants to work at Fukushima Dai-Ichi at least until they can go back to their hometown.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Hideaki Tokuma manages the contaminated water tanks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Tokuma feels his job is both challenging and rewarding. He explains that there is no routine job and every issue is new. He has to find a way to take care of things, comparing it to laying the railway and operating a train all on his own.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Kenji Shimizu of TEPCO is the onsite supervisor for the robotics project to investigate the containment vessels to locate fuel debris in the reactors at the plant.
Shimizu says they make sure to work in a safe environment, so he rarely feels any danger working at the plant. He knows it is difficult for people to understand. He feels compelled to continue making progress safely.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Masahiro Ito of TEPCO works for the trouble shooting unit and reports what happens at the plant government officials and local people. Ito tries to communicate with accuracy and speed, and wishes the local people can come back safely to their home as early as possible.
In referring to the battle with radioactive water leaks, "We will bring an end to the problem by 2020," says Yuichi Okamura of TEPCO.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Eiji Sakata works in the team that oversees the overall safety control in construction sites in the nuclear power plant.
Sakata says the safety control in Fukushima Dai-Ichi is more difficult than other places. They have to memorize everything since they can not freely take documents in and out of the site and verbal communication is harder with workers always wearing masks.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Shinichi Koga of Kajima Corporation works on the project to build the ice wall that blocks the groundwater flow from the ocean side into the nuclear plant.
Koga says that the difficult part of his job is the environment where he has to wear protective gear. There are many restrictions and his tasks require him to ask permission from the regulation authorities to proceed.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Yusuke Nakagawa of TEPCO works on the team that operates the robotics used to de-contaminate in the reactor buildings. Nakagawa says he wants to contribute to the recovery of Fukushima, and de-contaminating the reactors is the crucial task needed to proceed the reactor decommission, the most important issue for the plant.
The most daunting element of the decommissioning process is still years from even beginning. The government and TEPCO hope to start removing nuclear debris from the reactors in 2021, a task expected to take decades.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Kei Kobayashi of TEPCO works on the water purification system at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Kobayashi says the whole experience has been rewarding; he learns something new every day.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Kazuyuki Ogaki of Toshiba supervises the radiation dose of workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Ogaki is a Fukushima local, and his children have not been able to go back to the house where they grew up ever since the accident. Ogaki wants to work at Fukushima Dai-Ichi at least until they can go back to their hometown.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Yasushi Ooishi works on the team handling the contaminated water at the nuclear power plant.
Oishi says decommissioning is something his people must do and only his people can do. Oishi wishes the process was quicker, but there are obstacles. His teams can not do everything they would like because they have must cooperate with government officials and local communities.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Yusuke Nakagawa of TEPCO works on the team that operates the robotics used to de-contaminate in the reactor buildings.
Nakagawa says he wants to contribute to the recovery of Fukushima, and de-contaminating the reactors is the crucial task needed to proceed with the reactor decommissioning.
Fukushima Dai-Ichi workers
Kentaro Saga of TEPCO works on the ice wall project at nuclear power plant. S
Saga says that he feels a big responsibility working on the ice wall to control the groundwater flow, because no one has done it before, and it cannot fail. Prior to the ice wall project, Saga also led the project to build a gas turbine power plant as a substitute for Fukushima Dai-Ichi's electricity production.
More Photos: First look inside Fukushima nuclear power plant