IWAKI, Japan - Mr Takuma Hashimoto was three years old when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, 2011, triggering nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant just an hour’s drive from his home.

As the worst nuclear disaster since Chornobyl unfolded, his terrified family was trapped, unable to flee like their neighbours because they could not find gas for their car.