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September 19, 2025
 

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FRAUD

Phishing emails posing as major securities firms spiked in Japan between March and May, topping 70,000 in May alone.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2025
Police look to crack down harder on phishing scams amid record surge
Online banking fraud surged to about ¥4.22 billion in the first half of this year, a roughly 73% jump from last year.
ChatGPT owner OpenAI says it "actively works to identify and disrupt scam-related misuse of ChatGPT.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2025
ChatGPT was used ‘to help scammers do their thing’ at Asia fraud compound
Scammers used the artificial intelligence tool to craft convincing messages designed to trick people into parting with their money.
A novel type of fraud has been reported in Osaka Prefecture in which scammers send smartphones to elderly individuals before swindling them via the devices.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 12, 2025
Novel smartphone scam targeting elderly emerges in Osaka
Scammers would send elderly people smartphones before swindling them using the devices, according to the Osaka Prefectural Police.
Toyota Motor has implemented a five-stage internal qualification system at vehicle certification test sites to ensure quality and develop related human resources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025
Toyota introduces qualification system to prevent test fraud
The move aims to prevent any recurrence of irregularities in tests to obtain type approval needed for mass production.
Akira Ishii, a former Nippon Ishin no Kai Upper House lawmaker, is under investigation for alleged fraud involving secretarial pay.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 9, 2025
Prosecutors question former Nippon Ishin lawmaker over alleged fraud
Akira Ishii is suspected of having fraudulently reported a relative as being his public secretary and cheating the government of ¥8 million.
Police have urged the public to be suspicious if an acquaintance on social media ends up asking for cash.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 3, 2025
Over the moon: Fake astronaut scams lovestruck Japanese octogenarian
The woman in Hokkaido met the fraudster in July on social media, a local police officer said, describing the case as a "romance scam."
Losses in Japan due to special fraud cases reached ¥72.21 billion during the period from January to July, surpassing the worst-ever annual total of ¥71.88 billion in 2024, according to the National Police Agency.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 2, 2025
Losses due to special fraud cases from January to July exceed 2024 record
Two-thirds of the cases involved "fake police," with offenders posing as police officers to swindle targets out of money, National Police Agency data shows.
A meeting of Nippon Ishin no Kai lawmakers earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 29, 2025
Scandal-hit Nippon Ishin lawmaker to quit
Tokyo prosecutors have launched an investigation into Ishii on suspicion he fraudulently received funds for wages for a secretary who did not actually work for him.
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office searches the office of Upper House lawmaker Akira Ishii in the city of Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2025
Nippon Ishin lawmaker's alleged fraud likely totals ¥8 million
Akira Ishii is suspected of receiving salaries for a state-paid public secretary who actually did not work for him.
Upper House lawmaker Akira Ishii
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2025
Upper House member's office raided over alleged fraud
Akira Ishii is suspected of receiving public funds by filing a report about hiring a government-paid secretary who never actually worked for him.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, in May.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2025
In huge win for Trump, court throws out half-billion-dollar fraud penalty
The deeply divided decision by the Appellate Division in Manhattan is also a defeat for New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of Trump's biggest foes.
Investigators escort suspects extradited from Cambodia after arresting them on suspicion of attempted fraud, on Wednesday at Chubu Centrair International Airport in the city of Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2025
Aichi police arrest 29 Japanese extradited from Cambodia over phone scams
The suspects allegedly posed as police officers when calling victims in the Kanto region to swindle them of cash.
Criminals started hijacking online brokerage accounts in Japan and using them to drive up penny stocks around the world earlier this year.
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2025
Japan brokers seek to identify hackers after fraud surges
Criminals started hijacking online brokerage accounts in Japan and using them to drive up penny stocks around the world earlier this year.
Police officers escort Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon after he served a sentence for document forgery, in Podgorica, Montenegro, on March 23, 2024. Kwon was extradited to the U.S. last year and pleaded guilty to charges on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 13, 2025
Do Kwon pleads guilty to U.S. fraud charges in $40 billion crypto collapse
The South Korean entrepreneur faces over a decade in prison for misleading investors.
Reflecting a sharp rise in fraud cases involving offenders posing as police officers, the number of special fraud cases between January and June increased 50% from a year before, with the amount of damage shooting up by 2.6 times.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 1, 2025
'Fake police' fraud cases surging in Japan
The amount of money swindled in such cases totaled ¥38.93 billion between January and June.
AI developer Alt, which recently disclosed accounting irregularities, has filed for bankruptcy protection under the civil rehabilitation law at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025
Japanese AI developer Alt goes bust after accounting fraud
Suspicions of accounting fraud surfaced at the company in April this year.
The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday sentenced Tomohiro Koyama, who is believed to be the third-highest-ranking member of the "JP Dragon" crime ring, to three years and six months in prison for fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 29, 2025
Senior 'JP Dragon' crime ring member jailed for 42 months
Tomohiro Koyama, 51, is believed to be the third-highest-ranking member of the ring comprising Japanese nationals.
The National Police Agency noted in a special section of its fiscal 2025 report that the spread of social media has made it easy for loosely organized crime groups to contact regular citizens and commit crimes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 29, 2025
NPA white paper highlights crimes surrounding social media
In 2024, the number of social media-linked investment and romance fraud cases police detected around the country exceeded 10,000, with victims defrauded of some ¥127.2 billion.
Tomonobu Kojima arrives at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in February 2023 after being deported from the Philippines.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 23, 2025
Senior member of 'Luffy' crime ring gets 20 years in prison
Tomonobu Kojima, 47, was the first of the four indicted members of the group, whose members went by the nickname "Luffy," to receive a court ruling.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee arrives at a court in Seoul on Feb. 3.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
South Korea's top court clears Samsung chairman Lee in 2015 fraud case
The Supreme Court's verdict permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee as Samsung plays catch-up in a global race to develop cutting-edge AI chips.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
End of U.S. de minimis exemption causes headaches for some businesses in Japan
Proxy-shopping services — companies that ship Japanese products ranging from cosmetics and snacks to limited-edition stationery on behalf of customers abroad — are already feeling the impact of the U.S. suspending de minimis exemptions.
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
World Athletics stars relish Tokyo atmosphere after COVID-hit Olympics
Organizers of the World Athletics Championships said over 500,000 tickets had been sold and that they are expecting to end the event in front of large crowds this weekend.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Still plenty to fight for, says Japan’s team leader at worlds
Race walker Hayato Katsuki earned bronze for Japan on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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By Alex K.T. Martin

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