The boss of a Japanese hotel has been forced to apologize after he learned that the water in his spa bath was only changed twice a year. He was found dead in a mountain pass with a suicide note.
- Makoto Yamada found in a mountain pass in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture
- Yamada said he felt ‘morally responsible for everything’ in a suicide note
- He was the 158-year-old former president of the Daimaru Besso Japanese Inn.
The head of a Japanese hotel who was forced to apologize after it emerged that the water in his spa bath had only been changed twice a year has been found dead with a suicide note.
Makoto Yamada, 70, was discovered on a mountain pass in the city of Chikushino, Fukuoka prefecture, on Sunday morning.
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 relinquished his role in the hotel 10 days before his death on March 2.
The hotel came under intense scrutiny following an inspection in November when it was found that legionella bacteria were found at 3,700 times the allowable limit in the bath water. Legionella can cause a severe form of pneumonia called 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 on a mountain pass in the city of Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Sunday morning.
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’m so 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 called again the next day, but he did not appear at the police station.
After inspection of the inn’s hot spring, it turned out that the bath water was only changed twice a year instead of weekly.
The Fukuoka prefectural government filed a complaint against the inn with the police on March 8, accusing them of violating the Public Bath Law by lying that they changed the bath water much more frequently than they actually did. .
Mr. Yamada, in a press conference on February 28, admitted: “I told my staff that it was okay not to change the water in the bathroom because fewer people were using it.”
The hotel (pictured) came under intense scrutiny after an inspection in November when it emerged that legionella bacteria were found at 3,700 times the allowable limit in the bath water.
Mr. Yamada admitted at a press conference on February 28 (pictured during apology) that he told staff to change less of the bath water because fewer people were using it.
He admitted to instructing staff to illegally provide public health officials with fraudulent chlorination records.
Mr. Yamada also confessed that he did not chlorinate the bath water due to the fact that 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 deepest condolences to the man who passed away.
“We believe there were no problems in the way the police handled the case.”