Japanese Criminal Groups Still Exist– Second Rufi Group Lurking in the Philippines

One corner is surrounded by a white wall about 15 meters high, with barbed wire strung along the top. At the front gate, which is closed by an iron door, staff members chatted while nibbling on snacks, and the gentle atmosphere typical of the southern islands flowed. I informed one of them of my purpose, filled out the necessary information on the designated form, and waited for a while. Soon, the iron door opened, and a young Japanese man in a white T-shirt and shorts appeared. Although he had a slender body, both of his arms were tattooed up to his wrists.

“Are you Mr. K?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The man nodded and wore a puzzled expression. It was understandable; after all, it was our first meeting.

This is the Bicutan Detention Center, located on a vast site about an hour’s drive south from the center of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It houses approximately 200 foreigners who have violated Philippine immigration laws, including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean nationals. In late January, under the scorching sun, I visited the facility to meet with the suspect, Mr. K (28).

A group of Japanese nationals detained in this facility, calling themselves Rufi and others, recruited for illicit jobs using smartphones. In late January of last year, it was revealed that they were involved in various heinous crimes in Japan, shocking the Japanese society with news of even the loss of lives of elderly women

So far, those arrested and charged with involvement in the case include the group’s leader, Yuki Watanabe (39), executives Kiyoto Imamura (39), Seiya Fujita (39), Tomonobu Kojima (46), and dozens of men and women, mostly young people. However, one year later, the case remains unresolved.

About three weeks before visiting the detention facility, I met with Mr. F, a middle-aged man claiming to be a former gang member, at a karaoke box in Tokyo.

“Even now, there are still about nine Japanese people remaining in the Philippines, continuing to commit specialized fraud.”

Mr. F, who revealed this, had once been detained in the immigration facility for about four years. His time in detention coincided with when executives like Imamura, known as “Rufi,” were also detained. Although he was not involved in specialized fraud, he was detained for involvement in other crimes and was forcibly repatriated to Japan in the fall of 2022. I couldn’t hide my surprise at Mr. F’s words, but as someone who had been covering the underground society in the Philippines for many years, I also couldn’t help but feel that it was not surprising. Indeed, there was a second Rufi.

Who exactly are the individuals still engaging in specialized fraud in the Philippines?

Mr. F pointed to a photo saved on his smartphone. It was a passport with the face of a Japanese man.

“This guy is still in the Philippines.”

The man is in his late twenties and his registered domicile is in Aichi Prefecture. He was issued a five-year passport in October 2018. When this information about Mr. F was presented to officials at the Philippine Immigration Bureau, it was confirmed that the man had indeed been issued an arrest warrant from Japan as one of the members of a specialized fraud group. He is currently in hiding in the Philippines and was listed for repatriation by the Bureau. The list included names of 15 individuals, believed to be Japanese, in addition to the man from Aichi Prefecture. The youngest was 22 years old, and the oldest was 54. Nearly half of them were in their twenties, indicating that young people were predominantly involved. One of them was the K mentioned earlier.

Furthermore, it was discovered that K had been apprehended by immigration investigators at the end of last year and was currently in a detention facility. If a meeting could be arranged, it might provide some clues about the second Rufi. And so, I made the decision to fly to the Philippines.