Ringleader Identified: The Pattern Behind Dark Part-Time Job Crimes

Over 50 Arrested in Six Months

Since last summer, a series of robberies committed by young people who applied for dark part-time jobs have occurred primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area, severely deteriorating the public’s sense of security. These incidents are believed to be carried out by so-called anonymous and fluid crime groups (commonly referred to as Tokuryu). While police authorities have announced their intention to tackle the issue with new methods such as undercover identity investigations, the wave of dark part-time job robberies has suddenly ceased since mid-January of this year. As a temporary sense of relief spreads among the public, law enforcement officials have revealed the reasons behind this halt and the current state of the investigation.

Since August of last year, more than 20 dark part-time job robberies have taken place, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Groups of young perpetrators would break into homes by smashing window glass with hammers or crowbar-like tools and assault residents without hesitation, resulting in many injuries. Among these incidents, a particularly brutal case occurred in October in Yokohama, where an elderly man was murdered. So far, more than 50 young people who were coerced into committing these robberies by the masterminds have been arrested.

Despite continued incidents in places like Tokorozawa, Saitama, and Yokohama in October, as well as Katsushika, Tokyo, in November, the crime wave persisted. Even as late as December 22, two robberies occurred in Chiba Prefecture. The attacks did not stop at the turn of the new year; on New Year’s Day 2025, a two-person robbery occurred in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, followed by a four-person robbery in Hokota, Ibaraki Prefecture, on January 2. What should have been a festive New Year was instead marred by relentless violent crimes.

To combat these incidents, the Metropolitan Police Department, along with the Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa prefectural police, established a joint investigation headquarters, leading to the successive arrests of over 50 perpetrators. However, the masterminds and coordinators behind these crimes have yet to be apprehended, raising concerns that further incidents could occur. Strangely, though, since mid-January, no similar cases have been reported for reasons yet unknown.

A senior police official commented on this unusual halt, suggesting that “it is possible that those directing these dark part-time job robberies were arrested in connection with unrelated cases, preventing them from using smartphones to recruit new perpetrators, which in turn has stopped the incidents.

More than 300 suspects arrested

A senior police official continued:

“Last year, while cracking down on perpetrators of dark part-time job crimes, the Special Fraud Task Force also arrested over 300 people involved in special fraud schemes such as ‘ore-ore’ scams. Additionally, numerous arrests were made of malicious hosts who forced female customers into prostitution to collect unpaid debts, as well as scouts who introduced women to sex-related businesses for prostitution purposes.

As these investigations progressed, dark part-time job robberies ceased from January of this year. Furthermore, some of the arrested hosts and scouts were found to have previous arrests related to special fraud. Given the timing of the crime stoppage and the backgrounds of those arrested, it is possible that some of them were the masterminds or coordinators behind these dark part-time job crimes.”

Police authorities have been working to identify those directing these crimes, but a significant challenge has been the use of highly anonymous messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal. Investigators have been conducting digital forensic investigations to analyze smartphones seized from arrested perpetrators and recover deleted messages related to robbery instructions.

The senior investigator added:

“Most of the deleted data could not be recovered, but in some cases, fragments of messages from Telegram and Signal were restored, including instructions like, ‘Hit this house (commit a robbery).’ The perpetrators indeed followed these instructions and carried out the crimes. However, we have yet to identify who was issuing the orders. Multiple accounts were used, and new ones were created daily to issue instructions, making it difficult to pinpoint the individuals behind them.”

The dark part-time job crimes believed to be orchestrated by Tokuryu are not limited to the series of robberies in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Copycat crimes have been uncovered across the country, including illegal salmon poaching in Hokkaido and home renovation fraud schemes nationwide. While violent crimes such as robberies have temporarily subsided, there is no guarantee that public safety will not deteriorate again.