'SNS-based Simulated Alliances' Tokuryu Crime Syndicate
Yakuza Declining, Yet Over 10,000 Arrested Last Year
Japanese Police Special Investigation Unit Launches Full-Scale Operation from April
An image to aid understanding of the article, unrelated to the article content [Asia Economy stock photo]
In January last year, a robbery incident occurred in Tokyo, Japan, resulting in the death of a 90-year-old woman. According to police investigations, Japanese men who met in a prison in the Philippines conspired to commit the crime. They recruited accomplices to carry out the crimes through social networking services (SNS) using smartphones in the Philippines and gave instructions for the crimes via Telegram. They possessed as many as 50 smartphones and tablets.
They were also involved in a precious metal theft incident that took place in Kyoto in May last year. The accomplices recruited via SNS stole luxury wristwatches and sent the proceeds from selling them to the main perpetrators in the Philippines. There were eight similar cases across Japan. The police conducted a large-scale investigation and arrested many members of the group. Among the 44 accomplices arrested, most were in their 20s. Although they were promised large rewards through SNS, they reportedly received less than half of the promised amount. The main perpetrators kept their identification cards, such as driver's licenses, to prevent their escape. In December last year, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted four people, including a 39-year-old man, on charges of robbery resulting in injury.
A criminal organization growing more fearsome than the yakuza is causing tension in Japanese society. This criminal group, known in Japan as ‘Tokuryu,’ is an anonymous and fluid crime group that repeatedly commits fraud and robbery by changing its members. The name comes from the first characters of anonymous (Tokumei) and fluid (Ryudo).
Image for better understanding of the article, unrelated to the content [Asia Economy archive photo]
According to the announcement by the Japanese National Police Agency on the 21st, last year the number of organized crime members and quasi-members nationwide was 20,400, and the number of members caught by the police was 9,610, both record lows. Conversely, the number of people arrested for crimes presumed to be committed by Tokuryu reached 10,378, surpassing 10,000 for the first time in history.
Specifically, 195 people were arrested for robbery or theft recruiting accomplices via SNS, 6,170 for special fraud, 2,292 for drug-related cases, and 1,721 for crime infrastructure cases such as sham marriages, ID forgery, and illegal employment. The Japanese National Police Agency regards Tokuryu as a new threat to public safety and established a special fraud task force called ‘TAIT’ in April, specializing in special fraud cases.
Meanwhile, the number of people caught for marijuana last year was 6,482, the highest ever, surpassing the 5,914 arrests for stimulants. More than 70% of those caught for marijuana were aged 20 or younger.
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