Recently leaked documents dubbed the Panama Papers have revealed a number of Japanese nationals own companies in offshore tax havens, raising suspicions that they are being used to transfer gains from criminal activities to disrupt police investigations.
A 41-year-old businessman from Ashiya in Hyogo Prefecture, who was named in the papers, said, "It is so easy to send money out of the country. Pyramid sales, bank transfer scams, pornographic video production — people engaging in suspicious businesses are all using tax havens."
The man, who spoke to Kyodo News on condition of anonymity, has allegedly collected about ¥340 million from investment fraud and owns a company in the Seychelles that he acquired in 2013 via a Chinese firm.