KAGAWA - A 72-year-old emeritus professor at Kagawa University lost more than 9 million yen and even sold his apartment after becoming the victim of a romance scam in which a woman calling herself "Aiko" gradually gained his trust before introducing an investment scheme.
The case has drawn renewed attention as authorities investigate former professional tennis player Rika Hiraki, 54, a former French Open champion who was rearrested on August 12 on suspicion of attempted fraud in a separate case.
Investigators believe Hiraki may have been involved in romance scams that exploited victims' romantic feelings to obtain money.
The victims in two cases linked to the investigation were both women. They were contacted through social media and other online services by people claiming to be male doctors working overseas and were later asked for money.
Hiraki has denied the allegations, saying she has no knowledge of the matter.
Romance scams have been increasing in Japan in recent years.
According to the National Police Agency, losses from special fraud cases reached a record 181.6 billion yen in the first half of 2026. The number of recognized romance scam cases has more than doubled over the past two years.
People in their 40s, 50s and 60s accounted for about 75% of romance scam victims.
One victim was Ryoichi Takakura, a 72-year-old legal scholar and emeritus professor at Kagawa University, who was targeted two years ago.
The contact began after Takakura posted on social media about clearing out his belongings following retirement.
A woman who identified herself as Aiko and said she lived in China sent him a friend request.
As their exchanges became more frequent, Takakura came to believe that Aiko was educated, intelligent and understood his values and ambitions.
He said he felt she was someone who understood him and shared the direction in which he wanted to take his life.
Aiko eventually began calling him "big brother" and repeatedly told him that she was receiving investment guidance from her uncle.
About three weeks after they first met online, she asked whether he wanted to join her in trying something in an unfamiliar investment field.
Takakura said he probably would not have agreed if Aiko had directly urged him to invest, but the claim that she was acting under her uncle's guidance added a layer of credibility.
He initially transferred 50,000 yen to an account he had been given.
Aiko then sent messages telling him that the investment was growing successfully.
Later, Takakura began receiving notices saying he had to pay additional money to prevent the supposed investment profits from being frozen.
He continued sending funds, including one request for 3.5 million yen.
To raise the money, Takakura sold jewelry and used about 1.9 million yen of his own savings. He also borrowed money from several friends.
He eventually sold his apartment to secure further funds.
During that period, Aiko sent messages advising him not to tell his bank that the transfers were related to investments because doing so could delay the transactions.
She told him he could instead explain that the transfers were between friends, which would supposedly help him avoid unnecessary problems.
Takakura said he was also communicating with a person presented as Aiko's uncle and that the possibility he was being deceived never entered his mind.
Over a period of five months, Takakura transferred more than 9 million yen.
He finally realized the seriousness of what had happened after he was no longer able to contact Aiko.
Asked why he had been deceived, Takakura said the idea that he might be the target of a scam had disappeared entirely from his thinking.
"Their ultimate goal is money," he said. "But before that, they come to steal your heart."
Source: FNN
