News On Japan

Five More Arrested in Crackdown Against Illegal Scouting

TOKYO, Jan 18 (News On Japan) - In a case where executives of Japan's largest scout group, centered in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district, were arrested and indicted for seriously injuring a male member, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five additional members on suspicion of confinement and indecent assault resulting in injury.

According to the Metropolitan Police, in February of last year, a 30-year-old male member of the scout group "Natural," who had violated the group's rules, was confined to an apartment room and assaulted, resulting in injuries that took six months to heal. The suspects are under suspicion of confinement and indecent assault resulting in injury.

Executives of the group have already been arrested and indicted in relation to this case, and while the Metropolitan Police were investigating other members, five individuals voluntarily handed themselves in at a police station on Wednesday and were arrested.

This group is considered to be the largest domestic scout group in Tokyo, with over 1,000 members, and is suspected of illegally scouting women in entertainment districts across the country, primarily in Kabukicho, and introducing them to sex establishments, from which they receive a portion of the earnings.

The Metropolitan Police are also investigating the possibility that these revenues could be a source of funds for organized crime groups, and are working to clarify the actual situation, including the flow of money. It is reported that all five individuals are maintaining their silence.

Source: NHK

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Reporters Without Borders has released its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, ranking Japan 66th out of 180 countries and regions surveyed, just behind Timor-Leste (65th) and Fiji (64th).

The Trump administration has imposed a 25% additional tariff on imported auto parts, including engines and transmissions, with the measure taking effect at 1:01 p.m. Japan time on May 3rd.

Plans are underway to install designated smoking areas inside the Expo site for the first time.

Okinawa Prefecture has issued a warning to watch out for habu snakes, which become more active as temperatures rise in May, particularly during farming and outdoor activities in mountainous areas.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after driving into seven elementary school children near an Osaka school as they were walking home.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

During the Pacific War, members of the Ainu community, Japan's Indigenous people, were drafted and sent to the front lines alongside ethnic Japanese under the government's assimilation policy.

A senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, a designated organized crime syndicate, has been arrested in connection with the theft of over 170 Rolex watches in Osaka, and is suspected of having selected where the stolen goods would be sold.

The Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture has begun preparations for its next shikinen sengu, the ceremonial reconstruction of its shrine buildings and transfer of deities held once every 20 years. The process officially commenced on May 2nd with the Yamaguchi Festival, the first in a series of sacred rites.

A chamberlain assigned to the Emperor's household has been dismissed by the Imperial Household Agency after it was discovered the aide had embezzled 3.6 million yen, or roughly 25,000 dollars, from an account used to cover the Imperial Family’s living expenses.

A man operating a bar in Shibuya, Tokyo, was arrested on April 29th for allegedly providing unlicensed entertainment services involving women in swimsuits bathing in front of customers.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after driving into seven elementary school children near an Osaka school as they were walking home.

Flowers believed to be illegal poppies -- a variety used as a raw material for opium -- were found at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka City, where cultivation is prohibited by law, and were incinerated by the management center on April 30th during the ongoing 'Flower Picnic' event.

A burst water pipe beneath National Route 1 in central Kyoto early on April 30th caused a road collapse that flooded surrounding streets and vehicles, triggering widespread disruption.