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Tag - organized-crime

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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ORGANIZED CRIME

The Fukuoka Prefectural Police obtained a notice Kudokai had sent to other groups saying its leader, Satoru Nomura, had retired.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jul 16, 2026
Kudokai yakuza group undergoes leadership change
Satoru Nomura, who became Kudokai¡¯s leader in 2011 and has been given a life sentence over attacks on citizens, will be replaced by Fumio Tanoue, the group¡¯s chairman.
Thai soldiers inspect inside a workstation at a compound in O'Smach that the Thai military said was used for scam operations, at the Chong Chom-O¡¯Smach border crossing, in Samraong, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on March 6.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 15, 2026
Cambodian tycoon was landlord to Chinese scammers and human traffickers
A gambling empire controlled by a powerful Cambodian tycoon ?was the landlord of a compound that was used for industrial-scale scamming and human trafficking operations, a news investigation?has found.
Lawrence Bishnoi (center) is escorted by police in Panchkula, India, in 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 8, 2026
Jailed Indian ordered slaying of Canada Sikh activist, U.S. claims
The 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Vancouver prompted a diplomatic crisis between India and Canada.
Two suspects, a Thai man (center) and his Laotian wife (not pictured), suspected of sending drug parcels from a border province to Bangkok, are escorted by officials to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board in Bangkok on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2026
How drug gangs use social media to recruit Thai air crew as couriers
Early in the morning on June 18, a message from an unknown account slipped into the TikTok inbox of a flight attendant in Bangkok with a series of questions: ¡°Are you flying to Australia? Do ?you do carry-for-hire? What is your rate?¡±
Yukio Tanaka, 59, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho Food Service president, who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 29, 2026
Prosecutors seek life sentence over 2013 Ohsho president murder
The defendant, Yukio Tanaka, is accused of shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, the Ohsho president who was 72 at the time, to death in Kyoto.
Hideharu Inoue was detained by Philippine authorities on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2026
Apparent senior member of ¡®Luffy¡¯ crime ring detained in Manila
The Tokyo Summary Court has issued an arrest warrant for Hideharu Inoue, 56, on suspicion of theft.
The Metropolitan Police Department's headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2026
Japan arrests man suspected of links to alleged scam syndicate Prince Group, media report
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have arrested Hu Shi, a Cypriot national, on suspicion of falsifying documents.
A person walks toward a police officer on a cordoned-off street where a fire broke out at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's home in north London, Britain, in the early hours of May 12, 2025.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 16, 2026
Amateur saboteurs: the proxies carrying out attacks for gangs, Russia and Iran
A growing list of mainly young men are being found ?guilty in Britain of carrying out serious criminal acts on behalf of shadowy online figures for money.
Smartphones and PCs seized by Osaka Prefectural Police in connection to a social media scam that led to the arrest of 41 people
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2026
Osaka police arrest 41 over side-job scam affecting 2,300 people
In the scam posted on social media, victims were told they could earn large sums through a side job if they first paid for training courses.
Inside a compound at the Chong Chom OSmach border crossing that authorities say was used for scam operations in Cambodia on March 12
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 8, 2026
Cambodia scam centers increase despite crackdown, report says
Cambodia, alongside Myanmar and Laos, has become a hub for scam compounds where trafficked workers are often forced to carry out fraud schemes.
A miner descends into a hole dug in search of gold in Venezuela in 2010. Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves, is also rich in diamonds, bauxite, coltan and rare earths.
WORLD
Jun 5, 2026
¡®Blood gold¡¯: how gangs took control of Venezuela¡¯s mines
Nearly all Venezuelan mining activity is controlled by gangs or by guerrillas from neighboring Colombia.
Tokyo police have arrested three more men in connection with a robbery in the capital's Ueno district in January in which a group of men lost suitcases full of cash amounting to ?423 million.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jun 3, 2026
Three more arrested over January¡¯s suitcase robbery in Tokyo
The three men are believed to have close ties with major crime syndicates.
A new agreement between the National Police Agency and nine major banks will allow prefectural police to inquire about specific bank accounts thought to be involved in fraud schemes and quickly freeze them.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2026
NPA inks agreement with major Japan banks to hasten special fraud response
The shift from physical mail to digital requests will allow authorities to freeze accounts receiving fraud proceeds more quickly.
Prison guards escort Chinese nationals suspected of running scam centers to a prison after their arrest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 9. A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 20, 2026
Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka
Since the start of the year, police have arrested more than 1,000 foreign nationals, mainly from China, Vietnam and India, for alleged involvement in cybercrime.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term, has often faced accusations from his opponents that he is lax on crime.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2026
Brazil¡¯s Lula launches plan to fight organized crime ahead of elections
Brazil¡¯s battle with powerful criminal factions has been a point of tension with the U.S., and a priority during last week¡¯s meeting between Lula and President Donald Trump.
Sri Lankan police stop vehicles at a checkpoint in Colombo in 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 3, 2026
Sri Lankan police arrest 37 Chinese at suspected scam center
The arrests came a month after 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, were detained for allegedly running a cyberscam operation in the island¡¯s northwest.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has set up a special task force to intensify its crackdown on the Kohei-ikka, a Sumiyoshi-kai-affiliated designated crime group suspected of deepening its involvement with <i>tokury¨±</i> networks, including special fraud linked to illegal job schemes.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
Yakuza membership fell to record low in 2025
Authorities attribute the decline to an aging population within the criminal groups, tighter enforcement and a nationwide rollout of anti-gang ordinances.
Suspects of a crypto asset fraud scheme arrive at Tokyo&#039;s Haneda Airport on Thursday after being transferred from Indonesia.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 17, 2026
Japanese men held over fraud allegations after transfer from Indonesia
The men were suspected of convincing a woman in Nara Prefecture to purchase the cryptocurrency ethereum and transfer the funds to an account managed by them.
Five members of the Philippines-based JP Dragon crime ring were arrested for allegedly posing as police in 2022 to defraud an elderly woman in Gifu Prefecture of ?1.4 million.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Apr 8, 2026
Police arrest five more alleged members of Philippines-based Japan crime ring
The latest arrests have brought the total number of apprehended members and people with ties to the group to 14.
Police are investigating a connection between fraud cases in Ehime and Osaka prefectures.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2026
Woman defrauded of ?1.2 billion in largest scam loss on record in Japan
Individuals posing as police officers and prosecutors instructed the woman to transfer funds under the pretense of it being part of an investigation into her assets.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse&#039;s brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo&#039;s Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan&#039;s relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces&#039; Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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