#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radiated Workers Are from Subcontractor of Subcontractor of TEPCO

So the rumors that I've been hearing on the Japanese message boards may have been true: that TEPCO asks (many on the message boards say "demands") the subcontractors to do the dirty and dangerous work for TEPCO at the Fukushima I Nuke Plant, with the veiled threat that they won't get future contracts if they refuse to offer workers (that's what these message board posters have been saying).

Yomiuri Shinbun reports that the two workers hospitalized for radiation exposure are from a subcontractor of Kandenko, whose largest shareholder is TEPCO who holds 46.12% of Kandenko. Kandenko is one of the largest electrical and communication equipment installation companies in Japan. Kandenko is a general contractor who uses subcontractors for individual works.

So these two were offered by a Kandenko's subcon at the request from Kandenko, who TEPCO, as the largest shareholder, asked (or demanded) to work on the troubled reactors at Fukushima. Never mind that Kandenko does not have expertise in nuclear power generation, other than, probably, wiring the control rooms. Kandenko's workers and workers at Kandenko's subcontractors probably are not aware of the procedure in the nuclear power plant even in normal time, not to mention the procedure with radiated water puddles and semi-darkness in a broken nuclear reactor building.

For their line of work - laying power cables on the dry ground - they wouldn't need long boots or full protective face masks.

One of the workers is in late 20s, the other in their early 30s. Kandenko's president and chairman should have gone instead.

I was amazed that Yomiuri actually named the TEPCO's affiliated company, particularly after I read a piece praising the sacrifice of one TEPCO worker.

(TEPCO is one of the biggest advertisers on TV in Japan.)

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