Crime & Courts

3 Arrested in Hyogo Prefecture for ‘Disciplining’ Coworkers by Putting Firecrackers into Noses, Pouring Flammable Liquid on Buttocks

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Hyogo prefectural police headquarters is seen in Kobe in December 2023.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:45 JST, October 26, 2024

TAKARAZUKA, Hyogo — Police on Friday arrested three people on assault charges, including lighting firecrackers placed in the noses of colleagues.

The suspects include a 44-year-old woman who is a dump truck driver in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

According to the Takarazuka Police Station, the three suspects allegedly assaulted two male employees at an office in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, between April and August this year. They are accused of shooting the colleagues with a BB gun and pouring flammable liquid on their buttocks before setting it on fire with a lighter, in addition to exploding firecrackers in their noses.

The assaults against the men — which the suspects called “discipline” — occurred regularly in the workplace since around February this year, according to the police.