Kawaguchi Demolition Company Raided, Kurdish Company President Among Those Arrested Over Employing Illegal Workers
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
In April 2026, Saitama Prefectural Police arrested the president and employees of a demolition company in Akashiba-Shinden, Kawaguchi City, on suspicion of violating the Waste Management Act for illegally dumping industrial waste, including tatami mats, on vacant land. A search of the company's premises also raised suspicions that it had been employing workers without proper work authorization, in violation of the law prohibiting the facilitation of illegal employment.
Following the prefectural police investigation, the company's license as an industrial waste disposal operator was revoked. Current status: The case is at the arrest stage, and whether prosecutors will file charges had not been determined as of this writing. Note that reports vary in how they describe the president's nationality, referring to him as either 'Kurdish' or 'a Turkish national,' and this should be confirmed as further reporting emerges.
The offense of facilitating illegal employment is defined under Article 73-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, under which businesses that employ foreign nationals without proper work authorization are also subject to punishment. In this case, the illegal employment came to light after the crackdown on illegal dumping of industrial waste, making it a complex matter involving both an administrative penalty (license revocation) and criminal liability at the same time.
Within Kawaguchi City, administrative responses have also been strengthened, including the establishment of a new consultation desk staffed by resident Immigration Services Agency officials (related coverage), and this case can be seen as illustrating part of the challenges the city faces around foreign-national employment and residency management.