As Radiation Levels Soar, Japanese Labor Union Says Gov't Wanted Nuke Power for Armament

Japan's government has admitted that its safeguards were insufficient to protect the nuclear plant at Fukushima against the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the facility and caused a rain of radiation. The government vowed to overhaul safety standards.

Too little too late, said Japan's railway workers' union Doro Chiba. They blamed both the government and a submissive labor union leadership, calling out in particular the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, which Doro Chiba says officially has a policy of promoting the construction of nuclear plants.

Doro Chiba said that necessary construction of levees for protection against tsunamis was abandoned in favor of nuclear facility construction, and that the Japanese government had the "aim of pursuing profits and retaining nuclear power for nuclear armament in their possession".

Doro Chiba also expressed deep concern for workers affected by this crisis, saying, "A large number of workers are thrown out of their workplaces, which were stricken by tsunami, or out of abandoned factories because of radioactive contamination. Not only in the affected areas but also in other regions, numerous factories are forced to shut down and workers face loss of jobs because the suppliers of parts were hit by the disaster in the stricken area. As a result, workers are thrown to the street without allowance for lost working days".