This February 2026 documentary is a terrifying look at the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. It was caused by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, with the flooding damaging the power plant and triggering a near major nuclear disaster.

15 years on from the tragedy, British director James Jones examines what happened in Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare. In a concise 90 minutes, this is both fascinating and scary as all hell, with a select group of dedicated workers putting their lives on the line to avert a full meltdown.

Overcome a National Disaster in Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

The two major nuclear incidents are this and the notorious Chernobyl disaster of 1986. We visited the region in September 2021 and went around the abandoned town of Pripyat.

Of course, there was also the 2019 mini-series Chernobyl. This is considered one of the greatest shows of all time, relentless in its largely accurate depiction of the disaster.

If you know of Chernobyl, you’ll know what’s in store here.

James Jones’ Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare follows a familiar structure as the events could only ever be similar. The power plant was struck by the enormous tsunami, multiple plants were damaged, and several even exploded (raining radiation down on everyone nearby).

It was an extremely serious situation, which Japan’s then Prime Minister Naoto Kan had to manage whilst dealing with the devastation of the Tōhoku earthquake across the Tōhoku region of Japan.

The documentary features interviews with government advisors, power plant engineers, and journalists. Bringing in the people who were present and living through the nightmare is vital, as it adds real real-time weight to the film.

It’s been incredibly difficult finding any clips from the film available online, but there’s the below brief segment that was posted to Facebook. This gives off the vibe of the documentary very well.

Ultimately, safety lapses contributed to the disaster and it was left to the Fukushima 50 (employees for the company TEPCO who owned the plant) to face toxic radiation to bring water into the plants, cooling them, and saving a full meltdown.

The power plant is next to the North Pacific Ocean. There were protective sea barriers next to the plant designed to protect against tsunami, but the Tōhoku earthquake was so large it was enough to blast over the barrier.

Four days before the disaster, TEPCO had filed a report noting the barrier wasn’t sufficient.

Since the disaster, some of those who had to do that have died of cancer. The remaining former employees don’t expect to be around much longer, but also feel like their heroic efforts haven’t been noted.

A Nuclear Nightmare is clear in its structure, offering a timeline of the disaster, how it happened, why, and how it was resolved. It does this with a clear focus on the heroism of the plant workers, whilst highlighting the tragedy for the nation following the tsunami.

164,000 were also displayed from around the Fukushima plant. Due to radiation, it’s still forbidden to return and will be for many decades to come.

A gripping documentary, then, and sobering stuff. But to note, the film ends by highlight Japan is now, as of 2026, pushing ahead with its focus on many more nuclear power plants.