Movement for Justice in Labour and Environment - Post Fukushima Labour with Exposure to Radiation

This paper focuses on labour with exposure to radiation in post-accident Fukushima. Radiation related labour includes all the work in and outside the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant as well as vast amount of decontamination work around the region. Network calling for justice in working conditions and health conditions of workers in radioactive labour has been set up and is undertaking various activities such as: helping workers in radioactive labour find and join unions and fight for better working conditions, gathering and disseminating information on radioactive labour, and exchanging information with staff members of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economic Trade and Industry, asking for reform in various policies, and lobbying diet members and their staffers on this issue. This movement takes place at the crosspoint of labour movement and environmental movement and thus is has many implications for these two movements and their collaboration and theoretical studies of them. This paper will address the main issues regarding radioactive labour in post-accident Fukushima and try to introduce theoretical perspectives.