TOKYO, Mar 16 (News On Japan) - Seven men, including suspected ringleaders linked to an organized crime group, have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department in connection with a robbery in which about 423 million yen was stolen from a man walking along a Tokyo street in January 2026.
Those arrested include Kano Jinryu, 21, believed to be the mastermind and a senior member of the Hirodo-kai faction of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and Koike Koji, 47, along with five other men suspected of carrying out the attack.
Police allege that the seven men robbed a suitcase containing approximately 423 million yen from a 43-year-old man on a street in Higashi-Ueno, Taito Ward, in January, spraying the victim in the face with tear gas and assaulting him during the robbery.
According to investigators, Kano and Koike met with three of the attackers at a park in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward about an hour and a half before the incident before driving together to the crime scene.
After the robbery, the group allegedly fled in a light vehicle driven by Koike and later switched to a wagon vehicle belonging to Kano in order to escape.
When Metropolitan Police searched locations connected to the suspects on March 14th, they discovered and seized about 27.5 million yen in cash.
About two and a half hours after the robbery, another incident occurred at Haneda Airport in which approximately 190 million yen was nearly stolen, and police are investigating whether the two cases are linked.
Source: FNN
