News On Japan

Crackdown Begins on Japan's Anonymous Criminal Networks

TOKYO, Oct 01 (News On Japan) - Japan's National Police Agency and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department launched a new structure on October 1st to pursue the leaders of the so-called Tokuryu, an 'anonymous and fluid' crime group responsible for large-scale fraud and violent robberies linked to black-market recruitment.

Metropolitan Police Superintendent General Yuji Sakurada declared: "We must weaken these anonymous, fluid crime groups as soon as possible and drive them to destruction."

Tokuryu has been tied to record losses from special fraud schemes as well as robbery cases involving illegally recruited part-time workers. In response, the Metropolitan Police established a dedicated headquarters to counter anonymous crime groups, along with a Special Investigation Division to focus on ringleaders.

The National Police Agency also set up an Information Analysis Office for Anonymous Crime Groups, designed to centralize intelligence from across the country and identify core perpetrators.

In addition, a new unit known as the Tokuryu Targeting Team, or T3, was created within the Metropolitan Police, tasked with dismantling Tokuryu’s illicit business model through specialized investigations.

Tokuryu, short for “匿名・流動型犯罪グループ” (Anonymous and Fluid Crime Groups), is the term used by Japanese police to describe loosely organized criminal networks that exploit anonymity and mobility to carry out large-scale fraud and violent crimes. These groups do not have the rigid hierarchies of traditional yakuza organizations but instead operate as decentralized, internet-driven syndicates.

Tokuryu is most commonly associated with special fraud cases (tokushu sagi), such as “ore-ore” scams, where victims are deceived into transferring money by criminals impersonating family members or officials. Losses from these frauds have reached record levels in recent years, with many cases linked back to Tokuryu networks.

The groups also engage in “yami baito” robberies, where young people are recruited online through anonymous job postings, often on social media or encrypted messaging apps. These recruits, sometimes unaware of the full extent of the crimes, are instructed to break into homes or commit assaults in exchange for quick cash. Police have noted that this recruitment method makes the organizations highly adaptable and difficult to trace.

Unlike yakuza, Tokuryu members rarely show visible affiliations and often switch identities and roles. Their leaders are believed to operate from overseas, using technology to direct operations while shielding themselves from direct exposure.

The Japanese police view Tokuryu as a new type of organized crime, one that undermines traditional methods of policing by leveraging anonymity, digital communication, and fluid structures. This is why authorities are setting up new investigative frameworks—such as the Information Analysis Office and the Tokuryu Targeting Team (T3)—to break down these networks and pursue their ringleaders.

Source: TBS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A bombshell report has surfaced in Kanagawa Prefecture, the political base of Shinjiro Koizumi, where as many as 826 members of the Liberal Democratic Party aligned with the Takaichi faction were treated as having resigned from the party without their consent, according to an investigation by the weekly magazine Bunshun.

Osaka City decided on September 30th to suspend new applications for so-called special zone minpaku, a category of private lodging that has seen a sharp rise in disputes with local residents.

North Safari Sapporo, a private zoo in the southern district of Sapporo, closed its doors on September 30th after 20 years of operation, leaving around 300 animals including lions and wolves without a confirmed relocation plan.

Tokyo is expected to record a high of 22°C on October 1st, marking the first time in 112 days since June 11th that the temperature has fallen below 25°C, with rainfall cooling the air and bringing an end to the long stretch of summer-like days.

Photos of cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto and who was executed for his role in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, are being displayed alongside childhood pictures of his son in facilities linked to Aleph, the successor group to Aum Shinrikyo, according to findings by the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA).

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Japan's National Police Agency and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department launched a new structure on October 1st to pursue the leaders of the so-called Tokuryu, an 'anonymous and fluid' crime group responsible for large-scale fraud and violent robberies linked to black-market recruitment.

A Spanish tourist in Japan has become the subject of widespread criticism after a series of videos showed him pushing a passenger on a train, firing fireworks at a karaoke shop, and intruding into a shrine, with condemnation spreading even to his home country.

A hairdresser operating a salon in Tokyo’s Omotesando district has been arrested on suspicion of luring a female client into the restroom and committing indecent acts, raising questions about how a well-known stylist with a large clientele carried out such conduct.

Removal work has begun at an underground parking facility in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, where 274 vehicles were submerged during record rainfall on September 12th.

A man on trial for fatally shooting relatives with a crossbow in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, claimed in court on September 30th that the victims were "people who deserved to be killed" and added that he wants to be executed as soon as possible.

Photos of cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto and who was executed for his role in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, are being displayed alongside childhood pictures of his son in facilities linked to Aleph, the successor group to Aum Shinrikyo, according to findings by the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA).

A man kidnapped and believed to have been murdered in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, has led investigators to a broader case, with police announcing the arrest and indictment of two additional suspects on charges of abandoning a body.

A fire broke out near Haneda Airport in Tokyo’s Ota Ward around 9:10 a.m. on Monday at a demolition site, with black smoke seen rising from the area, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.