Exclusive Footage Reveals the True Face of Scam Master Female JP Dragon

〈In the Philippines, where Japanese criminals engaging in special fraud run rampant, a Japanese woman has been detained. Authorities had long been monitoring her as a key figure with deep ties to the local underworld organization “JP Dragon.” What does securing such a key person signify? Non-fiction writer Takeshide Mizutani delves into the depths of the story.〉

Engaged in special fraud until just before

The author obtained footage capturing the scene immediately after the detention.

On the night of October 7, five Japanese men and women, who had been conducting special fraud operations based in the Philippines, were apprehended in Quezon Province, Luzon. The scene was an apartment about a three-hour drive south of central Manila. All were dressed casually in T-shirts and shorts while being questioned by investigators.

On the table where the Japanese detainees sat lay stacks of documents. A senior official from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration picked up the papers and explained in Tagalog to the surrounding officers:

“These are lists of phone numbers they were calling in Japan.”

In the top left corner of the documents, the word list was printed in hiragana, and columns contained personal information such as names, birth years, addresses, and phone numbers. Next to some phone numbers were handwritten notes like young or R, and in certain cases, the entries were crossed out—likely indicating that the call did not connect or the person was unavailable. In addition, a large number of SIM cards were found among the five detainees. The senior official explained to me:

“Until just before their arrest, these five used the apartment as a hideout while continuing their special fraud activities. The personal information lists and SIM cards are evidence of that.”

According to official records, those detained were Miyako Iwamoto (34), Kunmitsu Harada (48), Nobuyuki Arima (45), Yuya Yano (33), and Ayumu Osawa (33). They were involved in thefts in which they posed as police officers to trick elderly victims into handing over cash cards, withdrawing large sums of money. Arrest warrants had been issued by the Fukuoka Summary Court in June 2023.

Regarding the process leading to the arrests, the official explained:

“We had tracked Harada’s location for about a month. This time, we first went to Harada’s hideout and, after getting him to reveal the whereabouts of the other four, we apprehended all of them. There were a total of four hideouts.”

A photo capturing an intimate connection with the shadowy figures of the Philippines

The five had connections with the local Japanese criminal organization in the Philippines, “JP Dragon.” One photo in my possession illustrates this: it was taken during a rooftop party, with whiskey bottles on the table, showing JP Dragon executive Tomohiro Koyama (51, serving 3 years and 6 months for theft) alongside Iwamoto and the others. A source familiar with the situation explained:

“This was a moment during a fireworks festival about three years ago at the end of the year. Dozens of JP Dragon members and callers had gathered on Yoshioka’s balcony.”

“Yoshioka” refers to Ryuji Yoshioka (55), the JP Dragon top leader detained in the Philippines in June. Yoshioka ran cockfighting gambling operations and restaurants, and was known in the Japanese community in the Philippines as a shadow entrepreneur.

Within JP Dragon, Iwamoto reportedly created a box (a team conducting special fraud) and led the other four, appearing to hold an influential position. Some even called her the female JP Dragon. She was chubby, and at the time of detention, wore a black T-shirt, black pants, and black-rimmed glasses. There were also personal circumstances. The executive continued:

“Iwamoto confessed that she has a child—a young boy. At the time of her detention, a Filipino accomplice was taking care of him, so he wasn’t present at the scene.”

The child is currently five years old. A former caller who had contact with Iwamoto in the Philippines also testified:

“In the Philippines, she used the alias ‘Asuka.’ She was extremely skilled at playing the role of a caller, pretending to be a Financial Services Agency official. She had a child with another caller, gave birth in Japan, and then returned to the Philippines with the child.”

Iwamoto returned to Japan in May 2018 while staying in the Philippines. Later, she gave birth in Japan and re-entered the Philippines in February 2020 with her infant son. She continued conducting special fraud operations while raising her child. The whereabouts of the father are unknown. The executive added:

“The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines is currently working to place Iwamoto’s child in an appropriate facility.”

Including Iwamoto and the other four, Philippine authorities have detained at least 16 Japanese suspects involved in special fraud this year. Even so, JP Dragon members continue to hide locally. The group’s number two, “Y,” remains at large, and an official said, “We don’t know how many are left.”

Although the top leader Yoshioka is held at an immigration facility, there is no clear prospect of deportation to Japan. The battle between JP Dragon and authorities seems likely to continue. (Honorifics omitted in part of the text)