MANILA - A Japanese man believed to be the second-in-command of the criminal organization JP Dragon, which allegedly operated from the Philippines and repeatedly targeted Japanese nationals in organized fraud schemes, has been detained by Philippine authorities as part of an ongoing crackdown on the group.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration announced on November 1st that it had detained 57-year-old Japanese national Yoshitaka Yamamoto on October 31st in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija province, on the northern island of Luzon.
Yamamoto is believed to have served as the No. 2 figure in JP Dragon, a criminal organization that operated primarily from the Philippine capital Manila and other locations. According to authorities, a court in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture issued an arrest warrant for Yamamoto in 2022 on suspicion of fraud and theft.
Philippine authorities said JP Dragon repeatedly carried out telephone scams targeting elderly residents of Japan, with members impersonating police officers to deceive victims into handing over money. The total losses attributed to the group's fraudulent activities are estimated at approximately 900 million yen.
The organization is suspected of operating sophisticated fraud schemes from overseas, using telephone calls and false claims of police involvement to manipulate elderly victims in Japan. Such operations are commonly known in Japan as "special fraud," a category of organized crime involving deception through telephone calls and other communications, often without direct contact between perpetrators and victims.
JP Dragon has been the subject of a continuing investigation by Japanese and Philippine authorities, with efforts to dismantle its leadership and overseas operations resulting in a series of arrests.
The group's suspected leader, Ryuji Yoshioka, was detained in June 2025, marking a significant development in the crackdown. Authorities have since continued targeting other senior members of the organization.
Yamamoto's detention represents another major blow to JP Dragon's leadership as Philippine authorities continue their efforts to apprehend suspects linked to organized fraud targeting Japanese nationals.
Source: TBS
