--- description: The Japanese government recognized the first radiation death of a worker at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant since the 2011 meltdown title: Japan Recognizes First Fukushima Radiation Death image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1b5c18933731518/6989398edb2987a3672609a1/gettyimages-1008038510.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Japan](/tag/japan/) ## Japan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Japan Acknowledges the First Radiation-Linked Death From the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 6, 2018 3:42 AM CUT  In this picture taken on July 27, 2018, a staff member of the Tokyo Electric Power Company measures radiation levels between reactor unit 2 and unit 3 (Rear) at the tsunami-crippled Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture. In this picture taken on July 27, 2018, a staff member of the Tokyo Electric Power Company measures radiation levels between reactor unit 2 and unit 3 (Rear) at the tsunami-crippled Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture.Kimimasa Mayama—KAFP/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 6, 2018 3:42 AM CUT The Japanese government has recognized [for the first time](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180905%5F31/ "undefined") that a worker at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has died as a result of radiation exposure. The power plant suffered a severe meltdown during the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The man, who was in his 50s, died of lung cancer as a result of being exposed to radiation, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reports. He had been measuring radiation levels at the plant in the immediate aftermath of the meltdown. It is not known when he died. On Friday, Japan’s health ministry said the man, who continued working at the plant until 2015, would be eligible for workers’ compensation, according to NHK. The ministry said he had been exposed to about 195 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation. The International Commission on Radiological Protection [recommends](http://www.icrp.org/icrpaedia/limits.asp "undefined") avoiding more than 1-20 mSv per year, and [according](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-quake-radiation/factbox-how-much-radiation-is-dangerous-idUSTRE72E14R20110315 "undefined") to Reuters, exposure to 100 mSv a year is “the lowest level at which any increase in cancer risk is clearly evident.” **Read more**:[_Japan’s Next Nightmare: Health Problems from Radiation Exposure_](http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/15/japans-next-nightmare-health-problems-from-radiation-exposure/ "undefined") Japan’s government has previously given compensation to four other workers who had developed leukemia and thyroid cancers as a result of radiation, but this is the first time a death has been acknowledged. According the BBC, the worker’s [lung cancer was diagnosed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45423575 "undefined") in 2016. The Fukushima meltdown, one of the world’s [worst nuclear disasters](http://time.com/4254162/fukushima-five-years/ "undefined"), occurred after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a total power failure and the plant’s cooling systems shut down, leaking radioactive material into the surrounding area. An estimated 18,500 were killed or went missing after the [earthquake and tsunami](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2058391,00.html "undefined"), while another 160,000 were displaced. **Read more**: [_Fukushima Disaster: Inside The World’s Most Dangerous Room – Time_](http://time.com/worlds-most-dangerous-room/ "undefined") There were no fatalities during the nuclear meltdown itself, but more than 40 patients who were evacuated from a nearby hospital later died, the BBC reports. The years long [clean-up effort](http://science.time.com/2013/05/01/leaks-rats-and-radioactivity-why-fukushimas-nuclear-cleanup-is-faltering/ "undefined") has also been plagued by accidents and deaths, and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the [plant’s operator](http://nation.time.com/2012/03/05/scant-fallout-for-those-behind-japans-nuclear-disaster/ "undefined"), has faced several lawsuits. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5388178/japan-first-fukushima-radiation-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5388178/japan-first-fukushima-radiation-death/"},"headline":"Japan Acknowledges the First Radiation-Linked Death From the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster","datePublished":"2018-09-06T03:42:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:21:14.273Z","description":"The man died of lung cancer after being exposed to radiation at the stricken plant","url":"https://time.com/5388178/japan-first-fukushima-radiation-death/","keywords":["Japan","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1b5c18933731518/6989398edb2987a3672609a1/gettyimages-1008038510.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1b5c18933731518/6989398edb2987a3672609a1/gettyimages-1008038510.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"JAPAN-NUCLEAR-FUKUSHIMA-DISASTER","caption":"JAPAN-NUCLEAR-FUKUSHIMA-DISASTER","creditText":"Kimimasa Mayama—KAFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/japan/","name":"Japan"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5388178/japan-first-fukushima-radiation-death/","name":"Japan Acknowledges the First Radiation-Linked Death From the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster"}}]}] ```