He recognised this guy. They never spoke, he's certain of that, but given that they both worked for the police, and Hideyoshi had a damn good memory for faces, it's not surprising that he'd want to approach the guy.

...Even if he seemed to be in a bad mood.
And what's the best way to approach someone who looked like they were grumpy and not in the mood to talk?

"Ya shouldn't throw lighters in basic trash, you know! If they get crushed by the back of a garbage compactor, they could spark an' explode."

Nailed it.