KAGOSHIMA, Jan 28 (News On Japan) - A man wearing a black hood emerged from a police station on January 27th, identified as Hiroaki Obata, 40, chairman of Japan’s largest scout group, “Natural,” who had been on the run for nearly a year before being arrested on January 26th on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to police.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Obata’s capture brought a swift end to a five-day nationwide manhunt launched after authorities made him a wanted fugitive on January 21st, following his disappearance ahead of a planned raid in January 2025, with investigators believing he repeatedly changed locations while disguised.
“Natural,” led by Obata, is believed to have had around 1,500 members and to have generated more than 4.4 billion yen in illegal income by introducing women to adult entertainment establishments and collecting referral fees known as “scout backs,” a practice that led police to classify the organization as an anonymous, fluid crime group known as “tokuryu.”
Obata is suspected of having paid 600,000 yen in protection money to a yakuza member in July 2023 to conduct scouting activities in entertainment districts, and when police attempted to conduct compulsory searches related to the group in January 2025, he fled just beforehand.
Police said that during the five days following the public release of his wanted notice, about 30 tips were received, with reported sightings in Saitama Prefecture, the Kansai region, and Kyushu, before an anonymous report on January 23rd suggested a person resembling Obata was in the Amami area.
Ten investigators were dispatched to Amami Oshima the same day, and on the night of January 26th they located and arrested Obata after spotting him entering a convenience store, where he was wearing black-framed glasses, had grown his hair by about three centimeters, and sported a beard, disguising his appearance from official photos.
Police believe Obata used aliases such as “Kiyama” and “Nishida” while on the run, and confirmed that a hotel on Amami Oshima had a reservation under his name from January 21st through February 3rd.
Obata departed Amami Airport for Tokyo with investigators on the afternoon of January 27th, and according to police, he told investigators, “I will not say anything about this matter right now,” denying the allegations, as the Metropolitan Police Department continues efforts to dismantle the group and uncover the full scope of its operations.
Source: FNN
