Young Japanese Struggling with Debt Driven to 'Dark Part-Time Jobs' Involving Robbery and Murder

Young People Struggling with Financial Hardship Tempted by Organized Crime

The so-called "dark part-time jobs" (闇バイト·Yamibaito), where people take on heinous crimes such as robbery and murder for high pay, are rampant and shocking Japanese society. It has been revealed that young people struggling with financial difficulties are falling prey to these organized crime temptations. A 22-year-old suspect recently arrested on charges of participating in a dark part-time job was also under debt pressure and reportedly applied for a dark part-time job for the first time.

On the 24th (local time), Japan's Asahi Shimbun highlighted Mr. Takada Matsuki (22), who was recently arrested in Yokohama City on suspicion of involvement in a robbery and murder. Takada is accused of receiving a "dark part-time job" request from an anonymous account on X (formerly Twitter), and along with several accomplices, beating a man in his 70s to death and stealing 200,000 yen (approximately 1.81 million KRW) in cash.

Not related to specific expressions in the article [Image source=Pixabay]

During police investigation, he reportedly stated, "This was my first time applying for a dark part-time job." He also said that at the time of application, the client reassured him by saying, "This job (heinous crime) is a 'White Project,' so you don't need to worry about the risks."

Dark part-time jobs are a new form of organized crime that has recently become active mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They involve requesting participants to steal money and valuables through anonymous social networking service (SNS) accounts and sending large sums of money as payment. The criminals strictly divide roles and operate in a cell-like structure, and since the job requests are received online much like part-time jobs, they are called "dark part-time jobs."

In particular, it is known that young people struggling with financial difficulties are drawn to dark part-time jobs. Takada was no different from an ordinary man in his 20s but was reportedly struggling with living expenses.

A similar case is the so-called "Loopy Incident," a robbery and murder that occurred in Tokyo in January last year. At that time, a woman living in Tokyo was found dead with her valuables such as a watch and rings stolen, and the police obtained a mobile phone believed to have been used by the perpetrators during the on-site investigation.

Report on the 'Dark Part-Time Job' Incident Occurred in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area [Image Source=Japan TBS YouTube Channel]

Reviewing the mobile phone's chat records revealed that the perpetrators received crime instruction messages from individuals using nicknames such as "Loopy" and "Kimu." Intensive police investigations revealed that up to 100 people were involved in the Loopy Incident, bringing the organized crime of dark part-time jobs to light for the first time.

The suspect in the Loopy Incident, who was tried on charges including robbery and murder, stated in court, "I made the decision myself, so all responsibility lies with me," and urged for the death penalty for himself, saying, "I want to eliminate young people who gather with others to plan the worst crimes like me."

Asahi Shimbun reported that a Japanese civic group conducted a survey of 420 young people aged 13 to 25, revealing that one-third of all respondents answered that they had experienced debt.

The report also detailed how much young people suffering from debt collection struggle with financial difficulties. One 24-year-old said he lived a frugal life by limiting his monthly food expenses to 27,000 yen (about 245,000 KRW) but still had credit card debt of 230,000 yen (about 2.08 million KRW). Another 18-year-old confessed to having incurred large debts from purchasing a motorcycle and sportswear.