Luffy Gang Leader Reveals How He Lived in Luxury Behind Bars in the Philippines
The masterminds behind the dark part-time job scams began their rampage to earn money for their escape
Previously.
In the summer of 2018, Tomonobu Kojima (47), who had joined a special fraud group as a low-level “kakeko” (caller who tricks victims), began to rise through the ranks after his work was recognized by the group’s “boss,” Masaki Watanabe(41). At the same time, the group transformed into a massive criminal organization defrauding people of billions of yen every month. The leaders amassed enormous wealth.
However, their rapid expansion drew the attention of rival organizations and the Philippine authorities. In 2021, members were arrested one after another. After being transferred between several local prisons, Kojima and others were eventually sent to the Bicutan Detention Center, which later became the stage for what came to be known as the “Luffy Widespread Robbery Case.”
Watanabe, who built a notorious fraud syndicate that swindled a total of 6 billion yen, spent his time indulging in casinos, while Kojima and Seiya Fujita (41), who supported him as senior members, also led lavish, extravagant lifestyles.
To evade investigators, the leaders moved from place to place within the Philippines. However, in November 2021, Kojima and Watanabe were finally captured by authorities and imprisoned in Bicutan. They attempted to bribe and negotiate with politicians and law enforcement agencies, but to no avail. From Kojima’s own confession—the organization’s former top leader—the story now delves into the depths of the nationwide robbery incidents that terrified all of Japan.
“JP (Dragon) says he’s going to kill you guys.”
This, according to reports, was the first thing Kiyoto Imamura (41) said to Watanabe and Kojima when they met again inside Bicutan Detention Center.
As noted in the previous installment, Watanabe’s group had been in conflict with JP Dragon, a Japanese criminal organization active in the Philippines. Kojima recalled that the conflict began when JP Dragon took over their main box (a team or cell within the fraud group).
About seven members who had been in the main box became part of JP Dragon. Imamura, who had been detained in Bicutan at the end of 2019 for violating a passport surrender order, had repeatedly failed in business and, needing money, joined JP Dragon.
The boss’s anger over losing manpower, money, and know-how was immense. He even considered sending a hitman after Ryuji Yoshioka (55), the leader of JP Dragon. Because of this, Imamura’s words provoked the boss’s fury.
After the so-called “Luffy group’s” series of robberies took place, several reports claimed that “JP Dragon was backing the Luffy group.” However, as further investigations confirmed—just as Kojima testified—the two organizations were actually enemies.
In fact, even more than two years after the Luffy Widespread Robbery Case occurred, no concrete connection between the two groups has been proven. Yoshioka, the man said to be the boss of JP Dragon, once told Japanese media:
“We are not the masterminds behind Luffy. The group’s top man is definitely Masaki Watanabe.”
The shocking reason they were able to live in luxury even after being imprisoned
When asked what he thought Yoshioka meant by his statement, Kojima gave the following explanation:
“To begin with, our cautious boss disliked forming connections with people outside the group. It created a risk of information leaks. In that context, Yoshioka and the boss met through an introduction from M, who was the head of the ‘ST Box,’ at a sabong (cockfighting) venue.”
“They only exchanged light words like, ‘It would be nice if we could do something together someday,’ but at the time, the boss said, ‘Yoshioka doesn’t seem like someone we can really count on.’ JP Dragon had started committing special frauds and robberies using some of the members they had taken from us, and Imamura was involved in that too. As I’ve said before, the boss’s group and Imamura or JP Dragon were separate organizations.”
“So, what Yoshioka said wasn’t wrong. The reason JP Dragon’s name appeared so prominently in the media was probably because the boss and Fujita had mentioned them during interrogations.”
“I also feel that the Japanese media bears serious responsibility for relying too heavily on police information, sensationalizing the name ‘Luffy,’ and thereby obscuring the truth. That played right into the boss’s plan—to hint at JP Dragon’s involvement and divert the investigators’ attention away from themselves.”
Inside Bicutan Detention Center, criminal groups from South Korea and China held significant influence, while Japanese inmates were a minority. For that reason, the senior members had to cooperate with one another to survive.
According to Kojima, bribing prison staff made it possible to use mobile phones, secure private rooms, and even have meals delivered. However, Watanabe’s group, which had converted much of its funds into real estate, lacked cash on hand. That’s when Watanabe and Fujita turned their attention to Imamura, who had recently come into money.
“Around June 2022, Imamura’s spending visibly increased. He ate only wagyū beef, so people in the prison started calling him ‘Wagyū no Kiyoto’ (‘Kiyoto the Wagyu Guy’).”
In May of that year, a luxury watch store in Kyoto had been robbed of 41 watches worth about 69 million yen. Imamura initially denied any involvement, but the boss was convinced that it was his doing.
The boss had previously been asked by Imamura to handle some money transfers related to his work. When asked what kind of work, Imamura had explained that it involved importing methamphetamine, special fraud schemes with JP Dragon, and thefts and robberies. When the boss consulted Fujita about this, Fujita advised, “Help him with the transfers and take his money.” That was how the so-called “Friendship Operation” began.
Under the pretense of teaching Imamura how to trade foreign exchange (FX), Fujita and the boss skimmed portions of the money he sent, claiming it was to increase funds through baccarat gambling. At the same time, they deepened their superficial relationship with Imamura by holding hand-rolled sushi parties in the VIP room where he was staying, together with S, the person who actually owned that room.
“I personally didn’t trust Imamura, so I stayed on the sidelines,” said Kojima.
It was also testified in court that Imamura was a habitual methamphetamine user. Because of that, an incident occurred in July 2022.
From the September 26, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”
Interview and text： Shimei Kurita (Nonfiction writer)