Japanese hotel owner has to apologize after their hot tub water was only changed twice a year, found dead on a mountain pass with a suicide note
- Makoto Yamada found on a mountain pass in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture
- Yamada said in a suicide note that he felt “morally responsible for everything”
- He was the former president of the 158-year-old Japanese inn Daimaru Besso
A Japanese hotel owner who had to apologize after it turned out that the water in their hot tub was only changed twice a year has been found dead with a suicide note.
Makoto Yamada, 70, was discovered Sunday morning on a mountain pass in the town of Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Mr. Yamada was the former president of the 158-year-old Daimaru Besso traditional inn in Chikushino, once visited by Emperor Hirohito. He had only resigned his role at the hotel 10 days before his death on March 2.
The hotel came under heavy scrutiny after an inspection in November found legionella bacteria 3,700 times the permitted limit in the bathwater. Legionella can cause a serious form of pneumonia, Legionnaires’ disease.
Police believe they found a suicide note in a car near where Mr Yamada was found dead.
Makoto Yamada (pictured during apology) was discovered Sunday morning on a mountain pass in the town of Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Mr. Yamada was the former president of the 158-year-old Daimaru Besso (pictured) traditional inn in Chikushino, once visited by Emperor Hirohito.
The note reportedly read, “I am very sorry. I feel morally responsible for everything. Please take care of the rest.’
Mr Yamada had been questioned by officers for about six hours on March 10 and was summoned again the next day, but did not show up at the police station.
An inspection of the inn’s hot springs revealed that the bath water was changed only twice a year instead of weekly.
The Fukuoka Prefectural government filed a police complaint against the inn on March 8, accusing it of violating the law on public baths by lying that the bath water was being changed much more frequently than it actually was .
Mr. Yamada admitted at a press conference on Feb. 28: “I told my staff it was okay not to change the bathwater because fewer people were using it.”
The hotel (pictured) came under massive scrutiny after an inspection in November found legionella bacteria 3,700 times the allowable limit in the bathwater
Mr Yamada admitted at a press conference on 28 February (pictured during apology) that he had told staff to change the bath water less because fewer people were using it
He admitted instructing staff to illegally provide fraudulent chlorination data to public health officials.
Mr Yamada also confessed that he had not chlorinated the bath water because he and the workers “selfishly disliked the smell of chlorine.”
Fukuoka Prefectural Police officer Eiji Kodama said in a statement: “We would like to express our sincere condolences to the man who passed away.
“We think there were no problems with the way the police handled the case.”