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The Japanese Mob Is Hiring Homeless People To Clean Up Fukushima
Daniel_Stuckey writes "Now, where do you find people willing to work in a fallout zone for minimum wage? According to a Reuters report, hidden within hundreds of contractors working on the cleanup effort are yakuza-controlled companies that pay headhunters to find homeless people willing to work inside the fallout zone. The sheer scale of the cleanup effort is staggering. While decontaminating the Fukushima plant itself will cost tens of billions and take years, there are also the surrounding areas in Fukushima prefecture, where cleanup costs are expected to top $30 billion. With Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), the owner of the Fukushima plant, essentially nationalized at this point, Reuters reports that there's some $35 billion in taxpayer funds on the table for contractors."
Oh, I'm sure that they are carefully billing the workers for whatever cheap crap they are using. Debt peonage isn't terribly innovative; but it's a time-tested solution to ensure workplace docility.
Just getting out the shackles and whips is discouraged; but there are so many ways of achieving de-facto slave labor...
And what pray tell will the Yakuza do with the radioactive waste?
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Government contracts, with government oversight right?
Time Bomber the Book coming soon.
I only dislike it. What I hate is the random redirections to it.
I'm sure the Japanse military could make them an offer they ...
couldn't refuse
Would they be interested in H-1B workers here in the US being sub-contracted to work at Fukushima?
You may like to snide at those who work under the H-1B visa as "illegals", but at the very least, they do not work for the mobs, unlike what is happening right now in Japan, the land of the Yakuza !
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
From the evidence to date, I think that the management of TEPCO would be improved by replacing every C level executive with a homeless person. It could hardly get worse.
If you had to slaughter 100 willing people, why wouldn't you choose the ones who demand the least compensation?
Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
What "class" is that? They're not slaughtering all the homeless people. They're convincing to a small number of them to take high risk jobs for low pay.
I was once told that an invisible man in the sky loved me and if I did not do exactly what he said no matter what he would show me that love by burning me for eternity.
Don't believe everything you hear...
Mainly because melting-down failed nuclear reactors reactors arent actually as dangerous as common perception would have you believe. Comparatively safe zones can start within hundreds of metres of the breach and in many cases the radiological effects on long term health are on a sufficiently long timescale that normal human mortality steps in first. The experience of Chernobyl taught us this. Total long term deaths resulting from that meltdown were initially expected to be in the hundreds of thousands. In practice so far the death toll is less than 100 (yes, one hundred) - plus a much larger number of people living-with-health-issues
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
having lived in Japan I can tell you the cost of getting into an apartment in Japanis something like four months rent. one month rent then one month rent realtors fees then two months rent as a gift to the landlord which is a holdover from the era after wwII when massive housing shortages plagued japan due tp large scale housing destruction. if you needed $4000 to get into an apartment you might have trouble getting into one too. also not having an apartmrnt is expensive because you can't cook or do anything for cheap entertainment.
The only reason this story, is a story, is that many Westerners do not understand the role of one's work in Japanese culture. Despite the criminal activity of their employers, many of these homeless people must feel some level of satisfaction from having something to do other than beg in a culture that most definitely despises begging of any type. To the Japanese, having something productive to do - kameseru - is as important as breathing.
If the emphasis of this story is that the mob is involved, so be it (although I imagine most Japanese would comment ".. and the sun rose today"). However, if they are outraged that the homeless are being exploited, they should save their pity for someone who would appreciate it.
They offer to give the homeless food and shelter, but these bills end up costing more than the homeless earn, so they end up in debt. Now the homeless are realizing they are better off on the street that at Fukushima.
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Considering the lethality of low level radiation, this is quite possibly the most inefficient way to slaughter the entire class of people ever.
Well, to avoid one they had to do some gas venting and coolant leaking.
As in most things, deaths (unless they're a substantial fraction of the population) don't matter that much in dollars & cents. Disabilities, however, cost an insane amount of money. And Chernobyl caused a significant number of disabilities, physical and mental, among children born in effected areas or by effected parents.
There was an SF TV series that had something almost exactly like this as the plot.
Japan is not just one area thou, you make it seem as if it is all the same. Where exactly did you live?
Manhattan is a super expensive place to live but it is not representative of all of the US. You need to provide much details to be creditable.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
At the turn of the 20th Century Sinclair Lewis wrote about working conditions and corruption in the Chicago stockyards. Since then the US has allowed 12 million undocumented immigrants to work for minimum real wages, often without benefits or protections for which 'we' have understaffed federal agencies that can't adequately monitor all the businesses that pump out seasonally harvested food crops, let alone mass produced crap like salmonella laden peanut butter. But for some reason, we have to focus on what the Japanese are up to?!
Redirect your attention away from the Yakuza behind the curtain. There's plenty of local corruption to go around, no matter where you are.
the poor or uneducated people joining the army and fighting in the middle east?
Actually, there were a few explosions. Not nuclear, but accumulated Hydrogen gas. They did distribute radio isotopes into the atmosphere, which was deposited in the local environment. That is what fallout is.
Have gnu, will travel.
In America, we don't want our homeless working. We want them dependent and we want them voting. Jobs...for homeless....HOW HORRID!
Open your eyes. Homelessness has been a problem in Japan for decades, it was terrible when I visited their even in the 1990's, but it has gotten a lot worse in the last 10 years.
People with rich parents don't take the shitty, dangerous jobs. That's why meritocracy is an illusion. Only spoilt brats who don't want to be reminded that they are spoilt brats believe it.
I'm curious if there is some kind of insurance fund that will help these people if they develop cancer or kidney failure in a few years.
I'm also wondering if they are educated enough about the risks to know what they are getting into.
Desperate hungry people doing a high risk job for low pay that may kill them? Sounds like the jobless problem is self correcting in Japan.
>>"ad space available -- low rates!!!"
"Japan is not just one area you, thou make it seem as if it is all the same."
"Thou" is a completely different word than the one you want. Though. Tip: If English isn't your native language (I suspect you're Japanese), take care to NOT copy what you see on the internet. There are an awful lot of semiliterate people here who will make you look like a moron if you follow their examples. Practice with literature, not the internet.
Oh, and creditable isn't the word you're looking for, either. Creditable means (of a performance, effort, or action) deserving public acknowledgment and praise but not necessarily outstanding or successful. "a very creditable 2–4 defeat". synonyms: commendable, praiseworthy, laudable, admirable, honorable, estimable, meritorious, worthy, deserving, respectable.
The word you wanted was credible. When in doubt, consult a dictionary (and NOT the urban dictionary or wictionary, use a good source like Websters or Cambrige).
lol.
He is invisible because you cannot see him. That whole Jesus thing was a bizarre and very temporary manifestation with many conflicting theories as to what exactly he was even among the faithful.
He is everywhere so in the sky too. Also that was a metaphor as you well know.
You are only forgiven if you ask for it. And what exactly constitutes someone who goes to hell is likewise extremely vague and conflicted. I was told as a child the very strict version of that myth and was not limiting my sentiment to christianity. (because none of the religions have any more truth to them that each other - even the fringe ones)
But if it provides you comfort to believe in that nonsense then feel free to go ahead.
But likewise don't expect me to do anything other than find you crazy and point out how ridiculous your position is and use it is the best and most extreme example we have of how people believe in all sorts of crazy shit when told by some other crazy as shit person with no evidence whatsoever to back up their position.
Your ilk don't get the privilege of being nuts in public and have me not comment because you have not earned it. And considering how much harm and damage religion has caused over the years I would argue any example of it has not earned the right to exist and not be publicly vilified.
So I will use the sheer insanity of religion as a metaphor, example, counterpoint or any other literary device for whatever I deem fit. It deserves far worse than anything I could ever give it.
Lol, thank you oh wize (ass) AC! You found a word where I missed letters on and something my spell checker fixed wrong! I bow to your wizdom!
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
They have a national health care system, coverage cannot be denied, and hospitals are, by law, physician-owned non-profits. The government sets the prices and generally the patient gets a bill for 30%. I'm sure if they can't pay they'll feel very ashamed, and beg for more nuclear cleanup work.
Actually I lived in Aomori city in Aomori prefecture for 5 years. Are you from Japan? If so, you know it's not a super expensive place to live. But normally they wanted 1 months rent, security deposit, 1 months rent as a real estate agent fee, and 1 or 2 months rent (I forget which) as key money. (A gift to the landlord.)
My apartments base rent was 50,000 yen (`$500) and was not the most expensive place in the city. But worse case scenario that's still almost $3000, or close to 3 months salary for a minimum wage worker. Even if you lived with your parents, it might take a year to save enough to get into an apartment like that if you still want to have fun.
In Tokyo? Blech. minimum wage isn't that much higher, but rents are almost double in the city. You have to live in Chiba or some other suburb and have long commutes to get a good rate.
I think calling them crazy or crazy-as-shit is a bit uncalled for. Sure, some of them are, but most are not.
Just misguided, gullible, or naive.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
I'm 46, probably done having kids, and more than willing to sign up for dangerous work, but NOT for any less than what I'm making now, plus enough to pay for adequate life insurance so that when I finally do die from butt cancer, or undergo spontaneous fission, my family will be properly provided for.
Nonaggression works!