4472 Arrested in Tokuryu Operation, but Masterminds of Dark Part-Time Jobs Remain in the Philippines

“There’s no way I’d be involved in such a scam.”

The man wore a pitch-black hoodie pulled over his head, sunglasses, and a white mask. The alphabet letters “JP DRAGON” tattooed near the base of his left thumb were covered with a bandage-like tape. This was the appearance of Tomohiro Koyama, a 50-year-old executive of the Japanese criminal organization “JP Dragon” based in the Philippines, when he was forcibly deported from Manila Airport to Japan on the morning of November 19.

The sharp gaze of Koyama is still etched in my memory. In late January of this year, he was detained by local police at a Japanese restaurant in Manila. The charge was fraud involving a Filipino entrepreneur. He was later transferred to an immigration detention facility, and in early February, I had a direct interview with Koyama in the Philippines.

Koyama claimed to be the number three in JP Dragon and explained the mysterious organization as follows:

“There are about 10 members. Originally, it was a legitimate company that pays taxes properly in the Philippines.”

He insisted that the organization’s foundation was a legitimate company. He even mentioned the company name, but a check with the relevant Philippine government agencies found no such company. It was also claimed that JP Dragon is the upper organization behind the “Luffy Group,” which had committed a series of large-scale robbery incidents, but Koyama denied any such connection. The group’s leader is Y (54), a man from Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Koyama said:

“Y is just an ordinary person. He practices cockfighting. People say Y is a bad guy or has killed people, but that’s impossible.”

Y has been a notorious shadowy figure in the Japanese expatriate community in Manila for over 20 years. Koyama, who works under Y, was the person who conducted a video call with Kiyotaka Imamura (40), the defendant who was detained at Harajuku Police Station last February, and allegedly told Imamura through his lawyer to keep quiet. However, Koyama explained in my interview:

“I never told him to keep quiet. I told Imamura to admit what he did, speak honestly to the police, and serve his time properly.”

The charge against Koyama in Japan stems from a theft incident in April 2019. He allegedly posed as a police officer, called a woman in her 50s in Tokyo, received eight of her cash cards, and withdrew 700,000 yen. When the conversation turned to his involvement in special fraud, Koyama flatly denied it with a look of disbelief:

“There’s no way I’d be involved in such a scam.”

In the Philippines, several members of special fraud groups, including Koyama and Imamura, have been arrested and forcibly deported to Japan. However, there are still remaining members who have escaped detection by law enforcement. According to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, at least a dozen such individuals remain. Koyama continues:

“Even now, the members are still active. I know their names and where they are. But I can’t say more. If I tell you, I won’t have anything left to offer the police when I go back to Japan (as part of a plea deal).”

While denying any connection to the Luffy Group, Koyama acknowledges being aware of the remaining members. With his recent forced deportation to Japan, the unraveling and weakening of JP Dragon and its remnants may progress. A Japanese man living in the Philippines, familiar with the internal affairs, pointed out that Koyama may have been a scapegoat and stated:

“As far as JP Dragon is concerned, Koyama’s deportation has not caused any damage. Koyama was actually a hindrance. He borrowed a lot of money from the people doing the dirty work and spent it at the casino. I once had to go pick him up from the casino. That’s how he ended up getting arrested by the police.”

Y is said to have strong connections with local police and other investigative authorities, but it appears he did not offer any support fire for Koyama’s release during his detention. Even if Koyama were to make a report to the Japanese police, he likely believes that he could escape prosecution in the Philippines, where Japanese police have no jurisdiction. Koyama, who had defended Y during the interview, is now likely reflecting on his situation while being detained.

 

Where is the mastermind behind the dark part-time job now?

Meanwhile, in Japan, from April to October this year, 4,472 people were arrested for their involvement in crimes linked to anonymous, fluid-type criminal groups (Tokuryu). Of these, 40% had applied for dark part-time jobs through social media. Behind this series of crimes, the remnants of special fraud groups, including JP Dragon, seem to be lurking. A Japanese law enforcement official testified:

“Two years ago, the involvement of individuals like Imamura in the series of special fraud cases came to light not through the analysis of the criminals’ smartphones but from their testimonies while they were in Philippine detention facilities. However, the mastermind behind the current surge in dark part-time job incidents has yet to be identified. Japanese authorities are investigating the possibility of overseas operations.”

A senior official from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration stated:

“The remnants may still be exploiting Japan. However, pinpointing their hiding places is extremely difficult.”

These remnants are likely staying illegally in Japan after their passports expired due to an order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to return their travel documents. Since they cannot get legitimate jobs, they probably continue to engage in illegal activities through the manipulation of Tokuryu.

Investigations are ongoing in the Philippines, but there seems to be a slight shift in direction.

“We are currently focusing more on tracking down Y, the boss, rather than arresting the numerous remnants. Although we can’t provide specifics, we’ve received information that he is in the southern Philippines.”

Even if they locate Y, new elements and surrounding figures will likely emerge. This is the dark world of bad expatriates lurking in the Philippines. (Some names omitted in the text)

Report and text by Takehide Mizutani (Non-fiction writer) Born in 1975 in Mie Prefecture. Won the 9th Kaiko Ken Nonfiction Prize for “Men Who Abandoned Japan: ‘Struggling Nationals’ Living in the Philippines.” His latest book, “Report: International Romance Scam,” published by Shogakukan Shinsho, is a bestseller.

Imamura, the leader of the “Luffy Group,” made a video call to Koyama, who is also from Hokkaido, while Imamura was detained at the Harajuku Police Station in February of this year.