TOKYO, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) used six foreign trainees to do construction work at the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from last November, breaking company regulations, local media reported Tuesday.
TEPCO, operator of the stricken plant and its subcontractors, along with construction firms here, have drawn widespread criticism for allegedly abusing the government's Technical Intern Training Program as a means to secure cheap labor for dangerous work.
TEPCO said in February last year that it would not allow foreign trainees to work at the nuclear power plant even in areas that were deemed safe and did not require them to wear protective suits or dosimeters.
But according to the utility's subcontractor, it hired six foreign interns to work at the plant, which was crippled in 2011 by an earthquake-triggered tsunami, sparking the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
"We deviated from our independent rules on employment. We will make our subcontractors thoroughly check the terms of their contracts," a TEPCO official was quoted as saying.
The utility said the foreign trainees were involved in groundwork construction and started working from November last year. The trainees were given no safety education or training on how to safeguard themselves against radiation.
In a separate case earlier in the year, it came to light that a number of Vietnamese trainees were found to be involved in cleaning up radioactive waste in Fukushima Prefecture.
The intern program, introduced in 1983 with the aim of letting foreign trainees learn technical skills in Japan and utilize them in their home countries, has seen a number of cases of foreign trainees being seriously exploited by their sponsoring companies here.
The Justice Ministry said a probe has been launched into the allegation.
