Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Dozens of workers and former nuclear workers gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday to support a nuclear worker affected by myeloid leukemia.

They used a megaphone to get their message across outside the Tokyo District Court. Supporters handed out leaflets to passers-by to inform them about the worker’s situation.

The worker, Arakabu, is suing his two employers, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Kyushu Electric Power Company, whom he accuses of not having respected safety rules when he worked in the Fukushima plant and the Genkai plant in Saga Prefecture.

Arakabu worked near Reactor 4 of the Fukushima Daichi plant, the roof of which was blown off by a hydrogen explosion in March 2011, following damage caused by a massive tsunami.

A document submitted by his lawyer states that the worker was alone when he carried out a reconnaissance mission on a water pipe in the Fukushima power plant near a highly radioactive area and that his dosimeter alarm sounded.

An investigation by independent inspectors confirmed that he had been irradiated but the operator claimed the radiation dose to be below the permitted standard.

Minoru Ikeda, another former TEPCO subcontractor at the Fukushima plant, confirmed that, despite the safety regulations, his supervisor asked him to carry out missions alone and situation is continuing.