JAPAN / Crime & Legal
New ‘tokuryu’ crime groups outpace yakuza in arrests
Among those arrested, 1,011 were ringleaders or individuals who gave instructions. About 90% were perpetrators, including people who received defrauded money, and around 40% became involved in the crimes through recruitment via social media.
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Apr 3, 2025
More than 10,000 people were arrested last year for crimes linked to “anonymous and fluid criminal groups” or tokuryu, including scams and yami baito, or shady part-time jobs, the National Police Agency announced on Thursday.
Tokuryu is a term coined by the NPA to describe a new form of criminal group that has emerged as an alternative to traditional yakuza organizations, characterized by anonymous masterminds who reap profits after recruiting perpetrators through social media in a manner that obscures the connection to crime.
The groups are deeply involved in fraud, social media-based scams, host club-related crimes and the yami baito robberies that occurred frequently across the Tokyo metropolitan area last year.
Out of 10,105 individuals arrested, 2,655 were for fraud, 991 for theft, 917 for drug-related offenses, 348 for robbery and 292 for violations of the adult entertainment business act.
Among those arrested, 1,011 were ringleaders or individuals who gave instructions. About 90% were perpetrators, including people who received defrauded money, and around 40% became involved in the crimes through recruitment via social media.
Meanwhile, the NPA said that the arrests of traditional organized crime group members totaled 8,249 last year, a fall of 1,361 on the previous year, marking the lowest number recorded.
As the power of organized crime groups continues to decline, the number of full members as of the end of 2024 was 9,900, down 500 from the previous year. If so-called quasi-members are included, the total was 18,800 — a decrease of 1,600, marking the first time the number has fallen below 20,000 members.
There are confirmed cases of tokuryu funds flowing to organized crime groups, however, and the NPA suspects that there are also organized crime groups that control tokuryu themselves.
Translated by The Japan Times
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/03/japan/crime-legal/npa-organized-crime/
