Four former Sanko Seika executives indicted over 2022 fire that killed six
In short
Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four former executives of rice-cracker maker Sanko Seika, including former CEO Motoyasu Sato (56), on charges of professional negligence resulting in death over a February 2022 fire at its Arakawa factory in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture. Six workers died and one was injured in the blaze, which fire authorities attributed to dried rice-cracker scraps igniting in a dryer heated by a baking kiln. Prosecutors did not disclose whether the four admit or deny the charges; Sanko Seika said the company takes the matter seriously and will work to prevent recurrence.
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Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four former executives of rice-cracker maker Sanko Seika, including former CEO Motoyasu Sato (56), on charges of professional negligence resulting in death over a February 2022 factory fire, the office announced on Oct 7. The four were indicted without arrest, according to Asahi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun. Sankei reported that prosecutors did not disclose whether the four admit or deny the charges. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The fire occurred at the company's Arakawa factory in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, around 23:35 on Feb 11, 2022. Sankei Shimbun reported that a building of about 8,800 square metres used to make rice crackers was destroyed. Two male employees in their 20s and four female part-time workers in their 60s and 70s died, and one woman was injured. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency's investigation, heat from a baking kiln warmed a dryer installed above it, rice-cracker scraps overheated and ignited, and the fire spread to urethane foam insulation in the ceiling, Asahi Shimbun and Nippon TV News reported. Asahi also reported that the factory had not carried out sufficient evacuation drills, that emergency exits had not been made known to workers, and that there had been eight earlier fires started by rice-cracker scraps. [ 2 , 3 ]
The indictment document alleges the four failed to take measures to prevent or monitor ignition from the dryer and neglected their duty to inform employees of evacuation exits and routes, causing six deaths, Asahi reported. Niigata prefectural police sent the four to prosecutors in February 2024 on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, and the Niigata Labour Bureau that same month referred the company and Sato over suspected violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, according to Sankei. Sankei reported that prosecutors decided not to indict on the labour-law matter in February 2025. [ 2 , 5 ]
Miyoko Ito, who was 68 when she died, has a 48-year-old son who told Asahi Shimbun: “There was a feeling of, will the day ever come when those responsible are judged? The fact that all four are being indicted is the biggest possible result, and I am glad.” Sankei reported that Sanko Seika is based in Niigata city. The company told Asahi it “takes this very seriously as a company and will work to prevent recurrence,” a comment Nippon TV News also carried. [ 2 , 5 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The indictment puts individual former executives, not only the company, before a criminal court over a workplace fire that killed six people, six years after the event. The documents also record that prosecutors earlier declined to indict the company and its then-CEO in February 2025 over alleged workplace-safety violations, so the case now turns on the negligence charges against the four individuals. The victims' families and the company's response are the main threads the outlets follow.
Key facts
- Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four former Sanko Seika executives, including former CEO Motoyasu Sato (56), on charges of professional negligence resulting in death on Oct 7, 2026. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The fire broke out at the company's Arakawa factory in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, around 23:35 on Feb 11, 2022. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Six people died — two male employees in their 20s and four female part-time workers in their 60s and 70s — and one woman was injured. [ 2 , 5 ]
- A building of about 8,800 square metres used to make rice crackers was destroyed. [ 5 ]
- Fire authorities concluded that rice-cracker scraps accumulated in a dryer heated by a baking kiln ignited and spread to urethane foam insulation in the ceiling. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Niigata prefectural police sent papers to prosecutors in February 2024 on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Sanko Seika said it takes the matter very seriously and will work to prevent recurrence. [ 2 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A fire at Sanko Seika's Arakawa factory in Murakami on Feb 11, 2022 killed six workers and injured one. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Niigata prosecutors indicted four former executives, including former CEO Motoyasu Sato, on professional negligence resulting in death over the fire. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Investigations attributed the fire's origin to rice-cracker scraps in a dryer, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency's findings. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the four indicted former executives admit or deny the charges. Sankei Shimbun reported that the district prosecutors office did not disclose the four's admissions or denials.
- The February 2025 decision not to indict the company and then-CEO Sato over suspected violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Reported by Sankei Shimbun alone; the documents do not explain the reasons for the decision.
- Trial dates or further legal steps against the four. No document states what happens next in the case.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Fire breaks out at Sanko Seika's Arakawa factory in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, on Feb 11, 2022. [ 2 , 5 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports that Niigata District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four former company executives, including the former CEO, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. [ 1 ]
- Asahi Shimbun names former CEO Motoyasu Sato (56) among the four indicted without arrest and reports the fire agency's finding on the cause. [ 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports that prosecutors did not disclose the four's admissions or denials and that a February 2025 decision not to indict the company and Sato over alleged Industrial Safety and Health Act violations. [ 5 ]
- Nippon TV News reports Sanko Seika's comment that it takes the matter seriously and will work to prevent recurrence. [ 7 ]