As a series of acquittals are being handed down against Kan-nama, Kansai Branch of the ready-mix concrete industry labor union, Shigeyuki Tani, Director General of the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, stated on April 21 that “we must take it seriously” regarding the false accusations that have been made.

He responded to a question from Representative Yuko Otsubaki (Social Democratic Party) at the Upper House Budget Committee.

In a series of cases in which police in Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, and Wakayama arrested and detained a total of over 80 union members, 11 people have already been found not guilty in three cases. In the ongoing trial, the prosecution had sought a 10-year prison sentence for Chairman Yuji Yukawa and others, but the Kyoto District Court acquitted them.

The number of victims of “hostage justice” continues to grow, including Iwao Hakamada and the CEO of Okawara Chemical Machinery. The police are increasingly being cornered.

Police should listen to the victims

In the cases in which union members from Kan-nama were arrested, they were found not guilty in three cases. The National Police Agency cannot get away with it on the grounds that the cases are “ongoing in litigation.” This is what Representative Otsubaki pointed out.

For example, the case of Ready-Mixed Concrete Cooperative of Greater Wakayama.

This case began when the operator of the Ready-Mixed Concrete Cooperative of Greater Wakayama, a cooperative of ready-mixed concrete managers, sent former gang members to the office of Kan-nama. When the members of Kan-nama demanded an apology, they were instead arrested on suspicion of attempted coercion and obstruction of business by force. It was an extraordinary investigation, with the police accepting a complaint from the managers who had used former gang members.

Representative Otsubaki pointed out that acquittals have already been confirmed in three cases, and added that, “This is a serious situation in that the series of criminal prosecutions were completely wrong.”

In response to this, Director General of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency, Tani, replied as follows:

“We believe that the police must take it seriously.”

According to Director General Tani of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, in order to learn a lesson from the acquittal cases, training is being held at the National Police Academy, where active police officers study, and at the local police academy. Lecturers include lawyers who have handled acquittals in retrials, judges involved in criminal trials, and university professors. However, the victims themselves have not been invited to speak. Representative Otsubaki demanded that the police invite the victims so that officers can hear their stories.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Deputy Director and National Public Safety Commission Chairman: “Industrial unions are also subject to Article 28 of the Constitution”

Otsubaki cited the Osaka High Court ruling in the Ready-Mixed Concrete Cooperative of Greater Wakayama case, which stated that “Kan-nama, as an industrial labor union, is guaranteed the right to organize under Article 28 of the Constitution,” and that “it is clear that the use of former gang members significantly threatens Kan-nama’s right to organize.”

Based on this, Representative Otsubaki asked questions to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which is responsible for labor administration, and the National Public Safety Commission, which has jurisdiction over the police.

“Although there are industrial unions that are organized across enterprises, the majority of labor unions in Japan are company-based, unlike those in Europe and the US. In order to improve working conditions throughout the industry, union members negotiate with companies and trade groups, regardless of whether the company employs a union member or not. The guarantees of labor unions under Article 28 of the Constitution extend to industrial unions as well, correct?” she asked.

Both Susumu Oda, Deputy Director-General of the Minister’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and Manabu Sakai (LDP), Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, responded that “the guarantees will apply.”

(Originally published in Japanese on April 21, 2025. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

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