TOKYO — On March 12, NHK mid noon news reporter Nomura Masaiku read a news announcement about exposed fuel rod assemblies at Fukushima, but was cut off by the director, according to various accounts of the incident.

About 3 hours later the reactor building exploded.

Within a month, Masaiku was sent from the Tokyo studios to work at a local station in Fukuoka.

Here are two different translations and a recording of the segment with computer-translated subtitles.

Title: 3/12 NHK “(Whisper) Don’t read this draft about exposed fuel rods”
Source: Fukushima Diary
Date: Jan 22, 2012

“At 11:40 on 3/12/2011, fuel rod assemblies are exposed about 90 cm above the pool of reactor 1. It is really a dangerious situation. Currently Tepco is planning to give 27,000 tones of water by using pomp for fire extinction etc. I’ll repeat..”

At this moment, on 0:45 on this video, the announcer stops and the mike catches the voice of director to say, “They say you mustn’t read this draft..”

Though he said “I’ll repeat,” he started to announcing about different issue after the disturbance.

Read the report here

Title: March 12, 2011 NHK News at Noon: “Reactor 1 Fuel Rods Are Exposed…” – “Oops, We’re Not Supposed to Say That…”
Source: EX-SKF
Date: January 22, 2012

Now the information on [Fukushima I] nuclear power plant.

According to the government agencies including the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the level of water to cool the reactor has gone down in Reactor 1 of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. As of 11:20AM today, the maximum 90 centimeters of the nuclear fuel bundles are exposed above water and the situation is getting dangerous. The work is currently ongoing to pour 27,000 liters of water stored for fire extinguishing into the reactor using a temporary pump, in order to raise the water level back up. Let me repeat the news …

(Then, there is silence.)

[in the background] “Wait, we’re not supposed to use that information, I’ve been told.”

Again, information about the nuclear power plant.

The pressure inside the Containment Vessel is getting high at Reactor 1 [...]

Read the report here

Watch the subtitled broadcast below: