A former Chinese badminton coach involved in training Japanese Olympic athletes has been arrested in connection with a series of sex-parlor robberies, according to police sources.

The sources said the suspect, Li Huarong, 26, was part of a six-member Chinese gang that police believe was responsible for 34 sex parlor robberies that took place in Tokyo, Chiba, Miyagi, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo, Aichi, Hiroshima and Fukuoka prefectures between March and October.

Most of the establishments robbed were run by Chinese residents, and a total of 46 million yen was reportedly taken.

The six, who are being detained by the Metropolitan Police Department, have been served with fresh arrest warrants on suspicion of robbing a sex parlor in Tokyo on July 5.

They allegedly threatened the owner of the establishment, a 31-year-old Chinese woman, and three employees with knives, bound them up with adhesive tape and stole 400,000 yen in cash and two bank cards.

They were also suspected of withdrawing 4.2 million yen from nearby banks using the two stolen bank cards.

According to police sources, Li arrived in Japan in June 1999 as an assistant to a Chinese badminton coach at a university in the Tokyo metropolitan area, serving as a trainer for students as well as badminton players who had been selected for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

College authorities fired Li four months later on grounds of incompetence. Li later served as a badminton coach at a private high school in Tokyo, working there until May last year.

China talks on crime

Jin Murai, minister and chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said Friday he is looking forward to frankly discussing how to fight Chinese organized crime syndicates when he meets with Chinese officials in Beijing.

"It is necessary to properly contain and fight organized crime to preserve the honor of the many good Chinese residents of Japan," he told reporters at a news conference before his four-day trip to China, which starts today.

Murai will meet Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang and other senior Chinese officials during his stay, commission officials said.

He is the third commission chief to visit China. The previous visits took place in 1998 and 1999.

The Japanese and Chinese police agreed in 1999 to cooperate to fight organized crime involving Chinese in Japan.

"Cooperation between Japan and China is going smoothly. It is important to deepen personal relations with Chinese security authorities," Murai said.