Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is facing increasing trouble in finding workers willing to carry out the risky decommissioning of the site, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has been criticized by labor organizers and nuclear regulators for its haphazard approach to the cleanup, which has been left to a poorly trained and demoralized workforce.

The worsening conditions are the main cause of leaks of contaminated water, according to employees and regulators. This has already damaged the environment.

Contractors have said there is a manpower crisis at the plant, which is feared could lead to another water or radiation leak, according to the report.

TEPCO has been accused of diverting its attention to another plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa which it wants to restart, part of the Japanese government's push to return to nuclear power, three years after the earthquake and tsunami which damaged Fukushima. 

Global Times