Japan’s Backdoor Bank Accounts in Cambodia is A Criminal Haven

Cambodia is full of Japanese yakuza

In Cambodia, crimes committed by Japanese nationals have been rapidly increasing. In the first part of this investigation, I explored the port city of Sihanoukville, where criminal groups have set up operations, focusing on hotels and derelict buildings that might be breeding grounds for crime.

Part 1: Development has failed and the town is full of ruins. On-site reportage reveals that Cambodia has become a breeding ground for crime!　Cambodia has become a “Criminal ‘s Paradise”

“I used to be a Japanese restaurant, but because of the boss (the manager), we were forced to close once,” a security guard commented while observing a Nepalese restaurant in Phnom Penh. This restaurant was reportedly delivering bento meals, including sushi, sashimi, and tempura, to a Japanese special fraud group in September 2023.

“The fraud group operated out of an apartment in Phnom Penh. They had bento delivered three times a day, 50 pieces each time. The manager had tattoos, and I thought, ‘Maybe he’s connected to the Japanese Yakuza.’ There were rumors that the manager had connections with Yakuza groups that came from Japan. Considering that the restaurant closed around the same time the fraud group was busted, those rumors might have been true,” the guard added.

As I prepared to leave, the security guard continued:

“There are many ‘Japanese Yakuza’ who fled to Cambodia. I don’t want to get too involved, so I won’t say much, but these bad people are working together on criminal activities. Cambodia has a strong network. Japanese people are supposed to be rich, so why do they commit crimes in Cambodia?”

Why have Japanese fraud groups chosen Cambodia as their base? The answer seems to lie in the guard’s question.

“As crackdowns in Japan have become stricter, China, Thailand, and the Philippines were previously used as overseas bases. But due to increased crackdowns there, they’ve come to Cambodia. Cambodia shares a border with China, making it easier for criminal organizations to infiltrate. Japanese groups have paid Chinese mafias to arrange things like mobile phones and apartments,” said a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Public Safety Bureau.