Overview
- The Metropolitan Police arrested Eiichi Oyamada, 77, former head of ISANA, on suspicion of violating the Road Transport Act for operating unlicensed paid rides.
- Police filed cases against the dissolved company and five former directors, and investigators say the parties have admitted the allegations.
- The case centers on an Oct. 16 run in which a private car allegedly carried six nightclub employees for a fee from Tokyo’s Minato Ward to Sayama, Saitama, without the required permit.
- Detectives say ISANA contracted with 12 hostess clubs in areas including Ikebukuro and Shimbashi and took in about ¥170 million over roughly one year.
- The unlicensed operation surfaced during the probe of a wagon involved in a hit-and-run that killed theater performer Tomoko Takahashi, 39, for which the driver was previously arrested and indicted.