In what appears to be a horrific abuse of some of Japan's most desperate and vulnerable people, homeless men are reportedly being recruited to clean up the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The destitute are said to be the most likely to accept minimum wage for what is probably one of the most undesirable jobs in the world.
One of the recruiters has explained how he is sourcing potential labourers for the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
The headhunter told Reuters news agency that he supplies homeless people to contractors in the nuclear disaster zone for a reward of less than £100 per head.
Seiji Sasa, explained: "This is how labor recruiters like me come in every day," walking past men sleeping on cardboard.
Almost three years ago, a massive earthquake and tsunami leveled villages across Japan's northeast coast and set off multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Today, the most ambitious radiation clean-up ever attempted is running behind schedule and reports continue to emerge that the situation is worse than Japan is letting on.
Speaking to The Huffington Post UK , nuclear experts highlighted that no one really knows the true severity of the radioactive water leaks, but that they are "far worse than we truly know."
The nuclear incident in Japan has sparked concerns about the reliability of information
Reuters reported that in a murky underworld, driven by gangs, one man – photographed by undercover police recruiting homeless men – said: "I don't ask questions; that's not my job."
"I just find people and send them to work. I send them and get money in exchange. That's it. I don't get involved in what happens after that."
In January, October and November, Japanese gangsters were arrested on charges of infiltrating construction giant Obayashi Corp's network of decontamination subcontractors and illegally sending workers to the government-funded project, the special report revealed.