Reiwa 6 (Wa) 188 Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law Violation Case

In 2024, Tokyo-based industrial waste disposal company Green Earth Co., Ltd. and its president Kenichi Sato were indicted for violating the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law. Investigations revealed that between early and mid-2024, the company illegally dumped over 80 tons of construction debris and contaminated soil in a forested area of Saitama Prefecture without proper permits, bypassing mandated treatment processes to reduce costs. The case, docketed as Reiwa 6 (Wa) 188, went to trial in 2025 at the Tokyo District Court. Prosecutors argued the dumping posed significant risk of soil and water pollution. The defense claimed the act was carried out by a subcontractor without the president’s direct knowledge. The court examined internal communication records and waste manifests.

The Tokyo District Court found both defendants guilty. Green Earth Co., Ltd. was fined 3 million yen. President Kenichi Sato was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, and the company was ordered to fully remediate the contaminated site.

The central dispute was whether company president Sato had knowledge of and authorized the illegal dumping, or whether it was an independent act by a rogue subcontractor. Additional focus lay on the application of corporate criminal liability and the extent of environmental harm despite cleanup efforts.

The case triggered stricter joint inspections by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Saitama Prefecture targeting mid-sized waste handlers. It intensified public scrutiny of illegal dumping in rural areas and led to the introduction of a mandatory GPS tracking pilot program for industrial waste transport vehicles in the Kanto region.