TOKYO (TR) – As a part of an investigation into the illegal dumping of industrial waste in Ibaraki Prefecture, police in Tokyo have arrested an organized crime member, reports TBS News (Apr. 6).
Last year, Kazuo Ishijima, a 62-year-old member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, allegedly participated in the dumping of 93 tons of industrial waste from a Tokyo building demolished in April and May last year on vacant land in Koga City, Ibaraki.
Ishijima’s role, according to police, was to arrange for heavy machinery to cover the waste, which included plastic and other materials, with soil on the vacant land to conceal it.
Ishijima, who has been accused of violating the Waste Management Law, admits to the allegations, according to the Hikarigaoka Police Station.
Ishijima and the president of a transportation company are among 11 persons arrested thus far in the case, according to Nippon News Network (Apr. 6). According to police, Ishijima is suspected in the illegal dumping of about 1,100 tons of waste on vacant land throughout Ibaraki.