Photo/Illutration Transport ministry officials head toward a Bigmotor Co. outlet in Saitama city on July 28. (Hiraku Higa)

Further murky practices have been alleged at Bigmotor Co., a car repair chain suspected of damaging autos to inflate insurance claims.

Trees and bushes planted near Bigmotor sites have disappeared, apparently due to the over-zealous application of an obsessive no-dirt, no-weeds policy, even if the greenery was not company property.

The main allegations against Bigmotor relate to breach of trust with insurers. On July 28, investigators from the transport ministry visited 34 Bigmotor outlets to assess whether they violated the Road Transport Vehicles Law through an alleged insurance scam, sources said.

A third-party panel commissioned by Bigmotor uncovered underhanded activities at the outlets. When cars were brought in for repair after accidents, mechanics allegedly would smash or scratch undamaged components so they could be replaced and the invoice sent to the insurer.

The transport ministry says Bigmotor operates 263 used-car outlets nationwide and has repair shops at 135 of them.

The tree investigation is being carried out by the transport ministry and local governments.

They are pursing reports that trees and other vegetation disappeared along public roads near Bigmotor outlets. The plants either died--herbicide is suspected--or were cut down.

For example, after the deaths of 17 trees lining a sidewalk in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, an investigation turned up traces of herbicide in the soil. The sidewalk ran alongside a national road--and just happened to be right in front of the big, bold signs advertising a Bigmotor outlet.

A report of property destruction was filed with Gunma prefectural police.

Trees also disappeared outside two Bigmotor outlets in Osaka city. Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said on July 27 that legal action would be taken if it turned out the trees were intentionally killed.

In Saitama, prefectural officials found that trees in front of Bigmotor’s Tokorozawa outlet had been cut down. But outlet employees refused to answer local officials’ questions.

When officials called the head office, the reply was: "We’re swamped by similar inquiries and cannot give an immediate response."

On July 26, transport ministry officials instructed national highway offices to check for missing vegetation along national roads in their jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, details have emerged of how Bigmotor employees were bound by obsessive cleanliness directives that affected their remuneration.

One woman in her 20s who worked for Bigmotor until last year said her outlet had a principle that not a single weed should be allowed to grow. She said herbicide was stored in the women’s changing room for the purpose.

The woman added that fanatical hygiene was expected inside the facility. Senior officials would visit every month from the head office to check on cleanliness. Points were deducted if dust was found, which meant lower bonuses for employees and demotions for outlet managers.

To meet expectations, workers would blitz the site the day before the inspection. Vacuum cleaners would be fired up even if customers happened to be present.

The woman added that there was no reward for the long hours worked.

“Even if we worked until 2 a.m., we were not paid overtime,” she said.

She remembers an eye-rolling moment when a higher-up appeared unimpressed with the hard effort.

“Can you lick the underside of the chair?” the executive asked a worker.

The woman soon quit.

“It was a strange workplace,” she said. “I feel the latest revelation has finally brought the situation to light.”

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