Article published on August 8th, 1985 by The Crescent-News.

HEADLINE: POLICE SUPER COMMITS SUICIDE

TOKYO (UPI) – A police superintendent who was embarrassed by the failure of his officers to capture extortionists that terrorized Japan with cyanide-laced candy doused himself with kerosene and then burned himself to death.

Police said Wednesday Shoji Yamamoto, 59, head of the prefectural police in Shiga, western Japan, set himself ablaze in the back yard of his official residence hours after he was relieved of his command and assigned to the National Police Agency.

The motive for the suicide was not immediately clear, police said, and there was no definite indication it was linked to his participation in the "Man with 21 Faces" extortion gang case.

The extortionist group terrorized the nation by scattering marked cyanide-laced candy manufactured by Morinaga, a leading candy maker, in an attempt to extort $2 million from the company late last year.

Associates said Yamamoto had been embarrassed by an error made by his subordinates in failing to arrest suspects involved in the drama last fall.

Yamamoto apologized to the public after officers under his command came across a car carrying one of the suspects last November but let him slip away.

The gang launched its shakedown campaign by kidnapping the president of another major confectioner, Ezaki Glico, in the spring of last year and demanding a ransom of $2 million. The executive escaped unhurt a few days later.