Hiroshima trucking firm and president referred over illegal overtime
In short
Hiroshima Central Labour Standards Inspection Office sent papers to prosecutors on 7 October against transport company HIROKI of Aki Ward, Hiroshima, and its 50-year-old president on suspicion of Labour Standards Act violations. The office said five truck drivers, including Mizutani Mizuyo (55), who is on trial over a March 2026 crash on the Shin-Meishin Expressway that killed six people, were made to work illegal overtime of up to 130 hours a month. Sankei reported the company's labour-management agreement was invalid because the president picked the worker representative himself.
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Hiroshima Central Labour Standards Inspection Office said on 7 October that it had sent papers to prosecutors against the transport company HIROKI, based in Aki Ward, Hiroshima, and its 50-year-old male president on suspicion of violating the Labour Standards Act. The office said five truck drivers were made to work illegal overtime, and that the group included Mizutani Mizuyo, 55, who is on trial under the road traffic law for negligent driving causing death over a crash in Mie Prefecture in March. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
According to the inspection office, the suspected overtime took place in the month to 15 December 2025. Jiji Press reported that three of the drivers worked more than 100 hours of overtime in that month and that the longest case reached 130 hours; TBS and Nippon TV also put the maximum at more than 130 hours. Sankei reported that the 36 agreement filed with the labour office was invalid because the company has no labour union and the president chose the worker representative himself, when the law required a representative to be elected by a majority of the employees. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
The matter came to light in inspections and guidance carried out after the March accident, according to Jiji Press and Sankei. Nippon TV reported that a special audit by the China District Transport Bureau had already found multiple legal violations at the company. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Jiji Press reported that the crash occurred on 20 March when the defendant, driving a large truck, looked away from the road for about 13 seconds and rear-ended a line of stopped traffic, killing six people including three children. Prosecutors have sought seven years' imprisonment, the statutory maximum, and a verdict is scheduled for 20 October, Jiji reported. Sankei said the accident happened in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture. [ 2 , 5 ]
The documents reviewed here contain no comment from HIROKI or its president on the allegations, and do not say whether prosecutors will proceed against the company or its president. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The referral links a fatal highway crash to how the employer managed working hours, putting the labour standards investigation alongside the criminal trial of the driver. It also turns on the validity of the so-called 36 agreement, a procedural point that can determine whether overtime was lawful. The outcome of the driver's trial is scheduled for later this month.
Key facts
- Hiroshima Central Labour Standards Inspection Office sent papers to prosecutors against transport company HIROKI and its 50-year-old male president on suspicion of violating the Labour Standards Act. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The suspected illegal overtime covered five truck drivers, including Mizutani Mizuyo (55). [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The overtime occurred in the month to 15 December 2025, according to the inspection office. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- Three drivers worked more than 100 hours of overtime in a month, with the longest reaching 130 hours, Jiji Press and TBS reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mizutani is on trial under the road traffic law for negligent driving causing death over a 20 March crash on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Mie Prefecture in which six people died. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- Sankei reported that the company's 36 agreement was invalid because the president chose the worker representative himself rather than through an election by a majority of employees. [ 5 ]
- Nippon TV reported that a special audit by the China District Transport Bureau had found multiple legal violations at the company. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Hiroshima Central Labour Standards Inspection Office sent papers to prosecutors against HIROKI and its president on 7 October on suspicion of Labour Standards Act violations. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The alleged illegal overtime involved five truck drivers, one of them the driver charged over the fatal crash. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The longest monthly overtime among the drivers reached about 130 hours. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The suspected overtime occurred in the month ending 15 December 2025. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The driver on trial is Mizutani Mizuyo, 55, charged over the 20 March crash in Mie Prefecture that killed six people. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The documents do not include any comment from HIROKI or its president on the allegations. No outlet cited a company statement or denial, so the company's position is unknown.
- Nippon TV said a special audit by the China District Transport Bureau found multiple legal violations, without listing them. Single-source claim with no detail in the documents.
- Jiji Press reported that prosecutors sought seven years' imprisonment, the statutory maximum, and that a verdict is due on 20 October; other outlets do not mention the sentencing demand. Single-source detail about the trial proceedings.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TBS NEWS DIG reports that HIROKI and its president were referred to prosecutors over illegal overtime. [ 1 ]
- Jiji Press reports the referral covers five drivers including Mizutani Mizuyo, with overtime up to 130 hours. [ 2 ]
- Sankei reports that the company's labour-management agreement was invalid because the president selected the worker representative himself. [ 5 ]
- Nippon TV reports that a China District Transport Bureau special audit had found multiple legal violations at the company. [ 6 ]