City raids defunct English school Toza

The former headquarters of the now-defunct language school Toza Gaigo Gakuin were raided Tuesday evening by the Tokyo Labor Standards Office to uncover evidence to back up teachers' complaints over unpaid wages.

In the raid, agents confiscated Toza's account books, which would be used to calculate the total amount of unpaid wages, according to an office spokesman. Meanwhile, nothing has yet been heard of Toza founder Kisaburo Sato, who disappeared nearly a month ago. The labor office will have to ask for an arrest warrant for Sato unless he comes out for questioning, the spokesman said.

Some 40 language teachers have filed complaints with the office, with claims totaling 15 million yen, he said. The Tokyo-based English school chain suddenly ceased operations in mid-April due to apparent financial failures. Alles, Toza's de facto sister firm in Osaka, formally filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday.