Tokyo police arrest six Chinese nationals over yami baito scheme
- Hge News
- Dec 2, 2024
- 3 min read
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested six Chinese nationals on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student from China who had become involved in a financial dispute over a yami baito, or a “dark” part-time job, according to Jiji Press.
Yami baito are illegal employment schemes that lure individuals with promises of unusually high pay, but instead have them commit criminal acts, usually involving activities such as handling money obtained through fraud or burglaries.
Often run by tokuryū, or “anonymous fluid criminal groups,” perpetrators leverage social media to recruit participants into yami baito schemes and communicate with them via encrypted messaging apps.
The suspects in the latest arrest — headed by Liu Tianlong, a 23-year-old company owner from the city of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture — are accused of forcing the student into a vehicle on a street in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on Oct. 22 at around 1 p.m.
He was taken to a riverside area in the town of Kawajima, Saitama Prefecture, where the suspects allegedly detained him for approximately 6½ hours. They demanded money from him and coerced him into signing a promissory note for ¥7.5 million ($50,000).
The victim had reportedly taken up a yami baito around September on the invitation of a peer at a Japanese language school he attended. The work involved sorting electronic cigarette cartridges, believed to have been illegally obtained, at a warehouse in Saitama Prefecture, where tens of thousands of cartridges were later discovered. One of those arrested had allegedly been instructed by a superior to illegally procure cash cards and purchase e-cigarettes.
Police believe the victim had become entangled in a financial dispute with the suspects.
During the job application process, photos were allegedly taken of the student’s residence card and other personal identification documents, according to NHK.
Liu and his associates later allegedly used these to threaten him, saying, “We know your family’s address in China,” and “You can’t escape, since we have the promissory note.”
According to the police, the other suspects, age 19 to 29, are in Japan on either student visas or are permanent residents. The police have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the charges.
The police are investigating the details of the case and are urging foreign residents in Japan to lodge a report if they find themselves embroiled in similar yami baito schemes or financial disputes.
Yami baito recruiters target those who may be in financial trouble using tags such as “high pay, immediate cash,” and “open to all.”
A survey conducted last year by fraud countermeasure company Tobila Systems found that 29.1% of respondents age 15 to 19 and 26.6% of those in their 20s had seen yami baito ads online.
According to the National Police Agency, nearly 47% of suspects arrested in connection with scams, fraud and burglaries from January to July last year allegedly became involved through social media. Among those apprehended, one in five was a minor.
On Nov. 21, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held an initial meeting of a newly formed research commission focusing on public safety, counterterrorism and cybersecurity.
Led by former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, the commission aims to prioritize countermeasures against schemes linked to yami baito. It expects to make policy recommendations to the government by early December.
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