Police search Japan inn that rarely changed hot-spring bathwater

Police on Friday searched a century-old ryokan-style inn in southwestern Japan that had only changed its hot-spring bathwater twice a year, allowing legionella bacteria to proliferate beyond the allowable limit.

Daimaru Besso, the inn in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, is alleged to have falsely reported to the prefectural government that it had changed the bathwater in the proper manner and added chlorine, after an inspection in August last year found legionella at twice the limit.

An additional inspection in November found the bacteria level had skyrocketed to 3,700 times the limit, promptin...