Worker, 12, Killed in Japan Accident

A 12-year-old Iranian boy was killed in an accident at a paper recycling mill north of Tokyo where he was working part-time illegally.

Police in Ashikaga said Tuesday that the parents of the boy, identified as Yousef Mohammed, are also illegal workers who entered Japan earlier this year on tourist visas.

Yousef, who spoke no Japanese, was crushed to death when he fell between two steam rollers Monday. He had been earning about $4 an hour at the plant since early October, police said.

Japanese labor laws forbid employers to hire children under the age of 15. The Justice Ministry estimates there are about 100,000 illegal foreign workers in Japan. Most of them work without social security and are often underpaid.