COMM: Lying completely untouched since 2011,
Fukushima is a desolate wasteland. Disaster
struck after a magnitude 9 earthquake triggered
a tsunami that destroyed a power plant, leading
to the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
COMM: The quake that caused it was strong
enough to permanently move Japan’s main
island, Honshu, two meters east. In the following
days and weeks, it’s estimated that over
150,000 people were forced to leave the area.
27-year-old urban explorer Keow Wee Loong,
with friends Sherina Yuen and Koji Hari visited
four towns in Fukushima in June this year.
COMM: The plant has thousands of times more
radiation than was in the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
COMM: Though they wore gas masks to filter
the contaminated air, they chose not to wear
protective clothing, leaving their skin exposed
to the potentially harmful environment.
COMM: The trio didn’t just risk dangers
to their health. To enter the so-called ‘Red
Zone’ area, they had to dodge police patrols,
sneaking in under the cover of night. Whilst
on site, Keow found gold, money and other
valuables still in place. Along with clean
washing half removed from machines. They explored
an empty mall with shops full of merchandise
dating back over five years.
COMM: The Malaysian-born photographer wanted
to explore the devastating effects of the
earthquake first hand, and to see the hold
that nature took five years on. The Tokyo
Electrical Power Company Incorporated estimates
that it will take at least 40 years to complete
the clean-up operation.
