Hyogo prefectural police have raided the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza syndicate in Kobe City’s Nada Ward over a toxic gas leak from waste that was improperly disposed of.
According to police, 14 workers at the waste disposal plant became ill on Aug 3 after inhaling hydrofluoric acid that had vaporized and leaked from a plastic container. Fuji TV reported that the container was among garbage collected from the yakuza gang's headquarters and transported to the facility, which is not equipped to handle toxic substances.
About 50 police took part in the raid on Tuesday afternoon. The Yamaguchi-gumi faces a charge of violating the Waste Disposal and Public Cleaning Law.
Hydrofluoric is a strong corrosive widely used for frosting glass. It vaporizes at ambient temperatures and causes breathing trouble when inhaled which could lead to death. According to sources connected with the investigation, it is mandatory to consult experts before disposing of such substances.
© Japan Today
8 Comments
Login to comment
warispeace
Is it mandatory to consult experts before the sale of such substances, or is this another of the many "externalities" of unregulated capital?
SenseNotSoCommon
As long as the existence of Yamaguchi-gumi and their ilk is tolerated, expect to see policing of the (largely self-policing) bottom of pyramid only.
wanderlust
So the 'yaks' are now in frosted glass window business? Or did they have a different reason for using the hydrofluoric acid?
FernGully
The Yamaguchi-gumi faces a charge of violating the Waste Disposal and Public Cleaning Law.
Anywhere from 0-5 years of prison and a fine. Pretty tame punishment. http://www.env.go.jp/en/recycle/basel_conv/files/Waste_Management_and_Public_Cleansing.pdf
FightingViking
Thank goodness I no longer live near the "big boss's" house...
sighclops
Window dressing. What about all the Yakuza activity surrounding the Fukushima & Tohoku disasters? They just dump waste directly into the river systems.
puregaijin
Totally cool that they have a HQ
bjohnson23
re: "So the 'yaks' are now in frosted glass window business? Or did they have a different reason for using the hydrofluoric acid?"
My yen is on the latter.