A member of Japan's yakuza mafia has been arrested for illegally sending workers to Fukushima to do nuclear decontamination work.

The gangster from the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza group is accused of sending three workers to perform decontamination work in Fukushima.

He is alleged to have then taken a third of the wages earned by the men.

The gangster has reportedly told police it was a good way of cashing in on the disaster.

Japanese police have launched a series of investigations into the yakuza's attempts to earn money from the Fukushima clean-up, fearing it has become a major money source for organised crime.