Diving for Yuko
Yasuo has spent years diving for the remains of his wife, swept away in the 2011 tsunami.
In coastal Japan, Yasuo Takamatsu has spent nearly 15 years diving for the remains of his wife, Yuko, who was swept away in the 2011 tsunami.
With on-location recording of Yasuo on his 763rd dive, this Heart and Soul documentary explores his search as an act of devotion shaped by Japanese ideals of grief, memory, and the power of nature. A profound story of love and loss, we reveal how one man’s repeated dives became a ritual of remembrance in a land where disaster is part of life.
(Photo: Yasuo Takamatsu stands in a boat at sea. He is wearing diving gear and putting on a glove. Credit: Hiromi Tanoue)
Presenter: Jake Warren
Producer: Leo Danczak
Editor: Macalister Bexon
A Message Heard production for BBC World Service
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- Fri 10 Jul 2026 03:32GMTBBC World Service
- Fri 10 Jul 2026 12:32GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Fri 10 Jul 2026 17:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
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- Fri 10 Jul 2026 22:32GMTBBC World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Sat 11 Jul 2026 10:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa only
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Heart and Soul
Personal approaches to religious belief from around the world.
