Thank you for your continued interest in the activities of the Last One Mile Labor Union.
To date, our union has repeatedly protested and requested that the two internal notices issued by Last One Mile, Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth, Securities Code 9252) on May 11th (Kintone bulletin) and June 11th (internal email) be considered unfair labor practices constituting unlawful interference with union activities under the Trade Union Act.
Judging from subsequent developments, it must be said that the company's intervention with our union has entered a new phase, not only at the executive officer level but also involving President Makoto Watanabe himself and parties related to the company.
This article will explain the facts currently confirmed by the union in simple terms, for the benefit of the public.
Furthermore, we would like to state upfront that matters related to criminal liability within this text should be left to the investigation and clarification by investigative agencies and the media, and it is not our intention for this cooperative to determine the criminal facts of any individual.
Introduction: The Position of the Last Mile Labor Union
This union is a labor union lawfully formed based on Article 28 of the Constitution of Japan, with employees of Last One Mile Inc. as its members. It operates as one of the constituent unions of the umbrella organization "Minna no Union," which is comprised of multiple labor unions.
What we are aiming for is not a confrontation with the company itself. It is our union's greatest wish that Last One Mile, as a publicly traded company and a socially responsible business operator, will develop sustainably under sound corporate governance and labor-management relations.
We will continue to pursue transparent and effective corporate governance that has long-term significance for shareholders, business partners, customers, employees, and society as a whole, as well as an internal reporting system that aligns with the spirit of the Whistleblower Protection Act. This article is also delivered as part of that public interest activity.
1. Continuous intervention by last-mile delivery services
Let's briefly review the progress so far.
On May 11th, the same day our union sent out formation notification to all employees, the company issued a document on the internal Kintone bulletin board, labeling our union as an "external organization," "unidentified," and "misused."
On June 11, the point of contact was communicated via company email:lomlomlom@lomgrp.co.jpI was unilaterally changed to a new mailing list, and requested to disclose information directly linked to member identification, such as the number of members and the representative's name, despite our union not having requested collective bargaining.
While the company explicitly stated in writing that it “would not subject employees to adverse treatment on the grounds of consultations, reports, or legitimate union activities,” its operations were extremely opaque—for example, the emails were sent using the Bcc format, which prevents individual recipients from knowing the full list of recipients.
All of these actions could constitute interference or control prohibited under Article 7, Item 3 of the Labor Union Act. Our union has issued written protests on each occasion.
2. Change in Circumstances: Direct Appeals from Mr. Makoto Watanabe and Mr. Tasuki Nakano
This is where the main article begins.
Since the latter half of May, events have been confirmed that require us to consider the actions and evaluations directed at our union and our parent organization, "Minna no Union," as originating from a higher level than the company's management department.
(1) Transmission to the superior organization late at night on May 19th
On May 19, 2026, at 12:58 a.m. and 1:05 a.m., Mr. Shukki Nakano submitted two messages via the contact form on the official website of the umbrella organization “Minna no Union,” identifying himself by his real name and including the following information:
- Notice of Intention to Disclose the Names of Several Companies in Which Mr. Nakano Shukki Is Alleged to Have Exercised Control
- Expression of hostile and confrontational stance towards the parent organization and our union
- The demonstration of an intimidating stance as one with these.
Given the pattern of multiple short-duration transmissions late at night, sent under the sender's real name (and their blacked-out email address has also been identified as belonging to them), this must be evaluated as a direct, threatening intervention in union activities. The technical records of the transmissions (transmission time, body text, IP address, etc.) are being strictly preserved by the parent organization and will be utilized as necessary in our response to the police and other relevant authorities.
Additionally, the union has received information regarding Mr. Watanabe's statement that in May, the previous month, during which he and Mr. Nakano had numerous contacts, Mr. Nakano explained to him that he himself was the founding promoter of "Minna no Union" and therefore naturally wrote the articles for the Last One Mile Labor Union. We are preserving the evidence of this. This contradicts the email regarding control and interference from Mr. Nakano himself, as mentioned earlier, leading us to believe that an unimaginable and inexplicable secret agreement may have already been made between the two individuals.
(2) The perpetrators of the unfair labor practices have expanded from Director Miwa Ito and Director Kohei Ichikawa.
Previously, the source of interference with our union has been the management department, with Director Miwa Ito and Director Kohei Ichikawa as the contact persons. Even at that point, it was already evaluated as an act of control and interference under the Trade Union Act. However, at present, the situation has escalated to a stage where we cannot but acknowledge actions and statements from President Makoto Watanabe himself, as well as from Mr. Kuniki Nakano, who has been involved with the company and its affiliates, directly targeting our union and its parent organization.
This means that the perpetrators of unfair labor practices have expanded from specific departments within the company to the top management, including the representative director, and individuals in close relationships with them. This situation objectively supports the fact that internal controls and corporate governance at Last One Mile Inc. are severely dysfunctional.
3. Regarding the company's official statement, "Mr. Takanobu Nakano has no relation to our company."
It is necessary to address the following passage from the end of the company email dated June 11.
We have also confirmed that unverified information about a specific individual is posted on external websites. This individual is neither a current nor a former employee of our company and has no affiliation with us.
The company vehemently and unequivocally denied having any relationship whatsoever with a specific individual, stating that they were neither a current nor a former employee.
However, subsequently, multiple pieces of information were received by our union and related parties, and as our union proceeded with its own investigation, circumstances suggesting that there was a business or de facto relationship between the individual in question and the company and its associates have again emerged from multiple directions. At the very least, our union has determined that the outright denial in the notice dated June 11th, stating "there is no relationship whatsoever with our company," is highly likely to be an inaccurate representation of the actual relationship.
Of course, the specific person I'm referring to is none other than Baron Nakano.
Assuming this judgment is based on facts, the company's explicit statement of "no relation whatsoever" in an official notification to all employees is itself an extremely serious issue for a publicly traded company. The foreseeable consequences are as follows.
- This is a misrepresentation to all employees and violates the duty of good faith towards employees.
- If the denial of the relationship was intentional, with the aim of quelling internal unrest and undermining the legitimacy of union activities, this significantly aggravates the egregious nature of the unfair labor practice of interference and control.
- As a publicly traded company, it can cause problems that cannot be ignored in terms of the purpose of timely disclosure and the relationship with accountability to shareholders and investors.
As a union, we strongly urge the company to provide a transparent explanation regarding the basis for its statement that there is “no connection whatsoever,” who made that determination, when and how it was made, and whether that determination still stands at this time.
Regarding media coverage related to Mr. Kaneyoshi Nakano
According to published reports, Mr. Noriyoshi Nakano, who is said to have had a business relationship with Last One Mile Inc. and its affiliates in the past, has been reported by multiple media outlets to have been arrested by the Kagoshima District Public Prosecutors Office, following reports of his whereabouts abroad.
https://373news.com/news/local/detail/234397
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/be21b5f2538c21336e33d063a9f8159489bdddeb
The content of these reports is public information released by investigative authorities and the media, and our association is not making any new factual determinations here. Our association expects the investigative authorities to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, and we believe that the company and its related parties should be held accountable by the company itself for how they were involved or not involved in the said incident.
Furthermore, as multiple members have provided information, it appears that major media organizations are also conducting ongoing interviews with individuals associated with Mr. Noriyoshi Nakano regarding this matter. Our association fully respects the independence and editorial rights of media organizations in their reporting activities. That said, in cases such as this, which involve matters of high public interest concerning the representative director of a listed company and related parties, if there is any undue pressure or obstruction to the legitimate reporting activities of the media by the company or its affiliates in response to information provided about opaque transactions between Mr. Noriyoshi Nakano and Last One Mile Inc., it would be a serious issue that threatens the function of independent media. Upon confirmation of objective facts, our association will have no choice but to take appropriate action.
We strongly hope that accurate and independent reporting on this matter will proceed without hindrance in the public interest.
5. Regarding joining the "Satoshi Saito" Victims' Association
This union received information from the "Satoshi Saito" victims' group and a request to join this union.
Satoshi Saito Victims Association Website:https://higaishanokai.org/saitosatoshi/
After the prescribed procedures and confirmations, our association officially welcomes the membership of the said association, and we hereby state this fact.
However, this membership does not mean that the association automatically endorses all factual claims made by the organization as the association's own view. We sincerely accept information provided by members and related parties and connect them to the appropriate channels as necessary. We believe this is also an important part of our association activities.
Mr. Satoshi Saito, as a listed contractor, was invited by Mr. Makoto Watanabe to join Last One Mile Inc. as the Head of the Corporate Planning Department. He is a certified public accountant and has been in long-standing acquaintance with Mr. Watanabe, as well as Mr. Nakano. There is information that he had been actively exchanging information and having frequent contact with Mr. Nakano, especially just before Mr. Nakano's arrest.
Regarding this point, concerning the exchange that took place between Mr. Makoto Watanabe, Mr. Tomoyoshi Nakano, and Mr. Satoshi Saito, this union is not an investigative body, and there is no point in it being used to find a culprit or to exert control and intervention. Therefore, this union will continue to exercise its labor rights, while expecting the board of auditors of Last One Mile Inc. to function correctly and conduct a digital forensic investigation of Mr. Makoto Watanabe.
6. Summary of Potential Illegality Around Last One Mile Inc.
Let me organize what has been written so far from a legal perspective.
First, a submission to the higher organization under one's real name late at night on May 19th can be evaluated as a new instance of domination and interference prohibited by Article 7, Item 3 of the Trade Union Act, as long as there is an objectively existing relationship between the submitter and the company.
Furthermore, the fact that the subjects of unfair labor practices have expanded from the management department level to include the representative director and parties related to the company indicates that this case is escalating into organized unfair labor practices by the company as a whole. Its maliciousness is incomparable to isolated cases of unfair labor practices.
Furthermore, this three-layered structure—whereby (a) the very notice that explicitly stated "no adverse treatment will be given" forces the disclosure of information directly leading to the identification of union members, and (b) regarding an individual who was described to all employees as having "no relationship whatsoever with our company," multiple pieces of information suggesting a relationship have actually emerged, and (c) threatening interventions at midnight against a parent organization are being carried out by individuals at the executive director level—is in direct conflict with the duty of loyalty to employees required of a publicly traded company, the responsibilities for internal controls and dialogue based on the Corporate Governance Code, and the spirit of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Furthermore, the assessment of criminal matters such as harboring a criminal, concealing a criminal, aiding in escape, leaking confidential information, blackmail, and coercion are all outside the scope of this association's authority and should be left to the fair investigation by law enforcement agencies. Regarding threatening interventions where this association is the direct victim, we will proceed with reporting the damage and providing information to the police and other relevant organizations to the extent necessary.
In conclusion
As we have stated repeatedly, our greatest wish is for Last One Mile, as a publicly traded company and a socially responsible business, to develop sustainably under sound corporate governance and labor-management relations.
I am not writing everything in this article to be hostile or attack the company and its management. I intend to calmly but firmly convey the issues that the company must confront in order to achieve transparent and effective corporate governance that serves the long-term interests of shareholders, business partners, customers, employees, and society as a whole.
We sincerely hope that Last One Mile, Inc. will take the points raised in this article seriously and take concrete actions toward fundamental correction.
To all members, we ask that you continue to perform your daily duties calmly and with resolve, without being overly disturbed by this matter. We appreciate your continued cooperation.
In addition, regarding this matter, there are numerous recordings and documents that have existed for a long time, corroborating that Mr. Takashi Nakano intentionally created and staged a tax evasion incident with the aim of evading his debt to Mr. B, a wealthy individual.
Furthermore, it is understood that the authorities in his country of relocation have already determined the facts regarding his use of Mr. B's mobile phone as a means of execution, with the intention of attributing the tax evasion incident to Mr. B, and that he used the device for communication with the purpose of deceiving the National Tax Agency.