We dispatched our reporters to look at the working situation within the Fukushima Daiichi premises, zeroing in on the spirit of the men involved in the work.

A lot of false rumors have been spread both in Japan and abroad about the situation those workers find themselves in, creating a bad image. Those include such comments as “the high radiation levels have created an atrocious working environment for them,” or “there is no light at the end of the tunnel as far as the work there is concerned,” or “many of the workers lack practical experience, and they are being managed poorly.” Those rumors make it difficult to hire top-notch personnel. Moreover, the overriding impression overseas still seems to be one of a terrible working environment at Fukushima Daiichi, in which no visible progress has been made.

However, the actual situation of the decommissioning and decontamination work contrasts sharply with what it was like right after the accident, having improved greatly.