Shadows That Crossed the Sea: Black Workers at the Bottom of the Nuclear Power Industry, 1977–1979

Records show that Black workers were employed at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant. The author encountered them during a health checkup in 1979 and was told they had been sent to Japan through an American company. In areas with high radiation levels, they reportedly performed short tasks repeatedly; when their radiation exposure approached the limit, they were replaced by other workers. It is possible that some worked without being able to fully communicate or understand the dangers of the work or the effects of radiation exposure. However, since the details—such as the number of workers and their backgrounds—are based primarily on testimonies the author heard on-site, not all of them have been verified by external sources. Nevertheless, this account reflects a system in which dangerous work is shifted from regular employees to subcontracted workers, and then on to foreign nationals and the poor. When factors such as race, nationality, poverty, and precarious employment status overlap, those who find it hardest to speak out are the ones forced to bear the greatest risks.