Nagoya Prison officials failed to notify the family of a 49-year-old prisoner who died in the prison in May that he had been placed in leather manacles and held in solitary confinement, prison sources said Saturday.
Prosecutors suspect the man died from injuries caused by the use of the same type of restraining device that five prison guards employed to restrain a 30-year-old male inmate in September when putting him in solitary confinement.
The five, including Chief Warden Takashi Watanabe, were arrested Friday for allegedly using excessive force to subdue the 30-year-old male inmate with a restraining device consisting of a leather belt and manacles, causing him injuries.
The investigators suspect that the 49-year-old man was subjected to similar physical violence by prison guards.