Japan has confirmed its first radiation-related cancer in a former Fukushima nuclear plant worker, who was involved in the cleanup efforts at the accident site in Daiichi, reports said. The development has come just a day before Japan is set to restart production at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant.
Japan's labor ministry said on Tuesday that the worker was part of the recovery and cleanup efforts at the nuclear plant following the meltdown in 2011.
AFP citing a Japanese health ministry official said that the former employee, who was in his early 30s then, developed leukaemia after working at Fukushima in 2011.
The country's labour ministry after confirming the case has approved the compensation to the employee, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported.
Since the disaster, Japan has faced major opposition on its plan to restart the plants despite repeated reassurances by the Shinzo Abe government.
Nevertheless, the country has restarted two nuclear power plants in the country.
The Kyushu Electric Power Company restarted the reactor at the Sendai power plant in Daiichi on 12 August, 2015.
The Daini reactor at the same plant was restarted on 15 October and is scheduled to be fully operational and produce power by 21 October, according to CNN.