A Japanese man and two South Koreans were arrested Wednesday for allegedly trying to exchange 535 bogus 10,000 yen notes for real ones at a branch of the Bank of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Police arrested Akira Mutaguchi, 64, Om Do Hum, 44, and Yun Jong Wol, 42. The police said Om is suspected of bringing the fake bills to Japan from China on Monday, while Mutaguchi took them to the bank in the city of Yamato, Kabagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday morning.
A bank teller noticed the counterfeits and alerted the police. The trio said they had no idea the bills were fake.
The bogus notes were of an older edition of 10,000 yen bills. They were thicker than real ones and the printing was blurred and had a greenish tinge, the police said.
Om and Yun were waiting at a hotel in Yamato while Mutaguchi was in the bank, the police said.