The Japan-Korea Tunnel was featured for about five minutes on the TBS program "Newscaster: The Last Extended Special of the Heisei Era!", which aired from 9:00 pm on Saturday, April 27th. The coverage for this program was conducted at our foundation's Karatsu and Tsushima sites on April 23rd, four days before the broadcast.
At the Tsushima site, our foundation's Chairman Hirofumi Sato and Tsushima site manager Shiroo were in charge, but TBS sent a single reporter who arrived in Tsushima on the first flight in the morning and conducted interviews and filming alone, covering the inclined shaft site and surrounding residents until he returned on the last flight in the evening.
At the Karatsu site, Karatsu site manager Yoshitaka Okubo was in charge, and three people were dispatched from TBS - a director, a cameraman and a sound engineer - to cover the site for about four hours. They spent a considerable amount of time interviewing and filming at each location, including the site office, in front of the explanatory sign near the inclined shaft entrance, the inclined shaft entrance, the pump room inside the inclined shaft, the face, the winch and the observation deck.
The interview covered a wide range of topics, including the purpose of the Japan-Korea Tunnel, its route, costs, and construction history, but the emphasis was on its purpose and current status. Given that such a massive project is currently underway, the main questions of interest were, "What is the purpose?" and "What is the current status?" In response, both Tsushima and Karatsu emphasized that the project is "a concrete plan to connect the world with rail and roads as a means of realizing world peace," and "preparation for when it is adopted as a national project in the future." Unfortunately, however, this answer was not featured on the program.
It was extremely meaningful for people across the country to learn about the current situation at the Japan-Korea Tunnel site, and we at the Foundation will continue to work hard to fully convey the truth of the situation in the future.
[Photo] Chairman Sato Hirofumi being interviewed in front of the entrance to the Tsushima Incline Shaft
[Photo] Yoshitaka Okubo, Tsushima site manager, being interviewed near the Karatsu inclined shaft face
