(毎日インタラクティブ) - OSAKA — A former company president who forced an employee to get a tattoo when the employee said he wanted to resign has been arrested, police said.

Arrested was Hiroaki Mizuno, 47, a former health food company president from Osaka. He has denied the allegations against him.

Investigators said that between June 2004 and November that year, Mizuno threatened a 36-year-old worker at the company he managed, saying, “Get a tattoo. If you don’t, I’ll hand your son over to gangsters.”

The worker followed the instructions and got a tattoo on his back, police said. Mizuno reportedly paid for the tattoo.

The worker said Mizuno ordered him to get the tattoo in response to his application to resign from the company.

“I had a good record and it seems that he didn’t want me to leave the company,” he said. “There are other workers who he also made get tattoos.”

Police are working to uncover any similar incidents at the company.