The manager of a luxury Japanese hotel today apologized for renewing the spa’s water every six months, resulting in a 3,700-fold increase in bacteria over the legal limit.

Local regulations require a weekly renewal of the water, in which men and women bathe separately, traditionally naked, after taking a shower.

Makoto Yamada, president of the company that runs the nearly 160-year-old hotel, said facility managers neglected to keep the water clean due to insufficient chlorine. The manager “didn’t like the smell” of the chemical, he said at a press conference. “It was a self-serving motive,” Yamada added, calling the negligence “misconduct that completely disregarded the health of customers.”

The lull at the Daimaru Besso Inn, where Emperor Hirohito of Japan once stayed, began around December 2019. Since then, staff at the Fukuoka establishment have become more casual as customer numbers have dwindled during the Covid-19 pandemic.19, Yamada added . . Even before the scandal became public, there were already signs of concern.

Last year, an inspection by the authorities found twice the amount of Legionella bacteria than allowed in the water of the guest house’s thermal baths. Yamada admitted that at the time the dorm management had “falsified documents to make sure the chlorine was added correctly.”

In a subsequent investigation by health authorities, it was found that the bacteria level was 3,700 times the legal limit. Bacteria that can cause lung infections reportedly infected a guest who stayed at several guest houses, including Daimara Besso.

RES-EMP source