Revered as a Living Legend by Young Scouts, Suspect Obata’s Charisma and the Organization’s Uncertain Future
He kept his face hidden from the cameras
Just after 6 p.m. on January 27, a black van arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Itabashi Station. From between the driver’s and front passenger’s seats—occupied by stern-looking investigators—a figure wearing a black hood could be seen hunched over in the middle of the back seat.
When the vehicle stopped and the rear sliding door opened, a person dressed in a black hoodie and gray sweatpants emerged. With the hood pulled down deeply, the face was completely hidden. Even while walking through the barrage of camera flashes, the individual tugged the edge of the hood downward with one hand, seemingly determined not to reveal his face at any cost. It was a pitiful sight—far from what one would expect of the legendary top leader of Japan’s largest scout group, said to have 1,500 members.
Hiroaki Obata (40), the head of “Natural,” was arrested on January 26 on Amami Oshima, where he had been in hiding. He is suspected of violating the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance for the Elimination of Organized Crime by allegedly paying ¥600,000 in protection money to a yakuza member on a street in Shibuya in July 2023.
An arrest warrant had been issued for Obata in January 2025 when the Metropolitan Police conducted a sweeping raid on Natural. However, he disappeared after being last seen near his home in Minato Ward, Tokyo, just before the planned arrest, and authorities were unable to apprehend him. After police publicly listed him as wanted on January 21 this year, around 30 tips were reportedly received.
“After his photo was released, information came in on the 23rd that ‘someone resembling him is in Amami.’ The Metropolitan Police dispatched 10 investigators, reviewed security camera footage, and confirmed it was indeed Obata.
Around 8 p.m., investigators spotted a man resembling him at a convenience store. When several officers approached him, Obata tried to resist and showed signs of attempting to flee, but he admitted he was Hiroaki Obata and was arrested. At the time, he looked different from his wanted photo—his hair and beard had grown out, and he was wearing black glasses.
Subsequent investigation revealed that he had reserved a hotel room a few hundred meters from where he was found, booking it from December 21 last year through February 3 this year, paying in cash in advance. The Metropolitan Police believe he moved between regions such as Kansai and Kyushu while on the run, continuing hobbies like surfing and weight training. About ¥1.7 million in cash, believed to be funds for his escape, was found in a safe in his hotel room,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs desk.
In December 2022, the Metropolitan Police formed a cross-departmental task force to dismantle illegal scout groups considered antisocial forces. On January 27, 2025, they conducted coordinated raids at dozens of locations in Tokyo in an effort to apprehend Natural’s leadership all at once. However, as noted earlier, Obata managed to evade capture. Despite being under surveillance, he vanished just days before the simultaneous raids.
Within the scout industry, rumors circulated that “information was leaked by one of the investigators.” In November last year, a police inspector (43) from the organized crime division—who had been part of the task force—was arrested in a separate case on suspicion of leaking information to Natural, and his possible involvement is being scrutinized.
What kind of man is Obata, whom the Metropolitan Police pursued so relentlessly? Underworld journalist Yukio Ishihara says, “When you ask young scouts, he’s treated almost like an object of worship.”
He was a divine leader
“It’s unclear whether the story is true, Ishihara says, but what’s been passed down from higher-ups and repeated among them is this episode: ‘Kiyama-san’—another name for Obata—once stormed into a yakuza office unarmed to negotiate and rescue a scout who had been abducted. That story has helped build his image as a charismatic figure with both the brains and the courage to stand toe-to-toe with gangsters.
Natural’s methods are essentially the same as other antisocial groups—‘carrot and stick.’ But from what I’ve gathered in my reporting, they do properly deliver the carrot. Young scouts say that with underground part-time jobs or other criminal organizations, you’re lured in with sweet promises but treated as disposable, and it’s common not to receive the promised pay. With Natural, however, you generally receive the agreed-upon amount. That’s why there are even students from relatively reputable universities who join as scouts, saying they want to save money to start their own businesses.
On the other hand, the stick is severe. Those who break the group’s rules or perform poorly are beaten so badly in front of other members that they can’t even stand. Because there is both trust in and fear of the organization, they may come to believe in the ‘legend of Kiyama.’ At the same time, Natural’s leadership is quite intelligent—they even formed an IT team and developed their own app—so it’s also possible that elevating ‘Kiyama’ to near-mythical status was a deliberate strategy.”
With the arrest of Kiyama—aka Obata—once considered a living legend, what will become of Natural?
“As often happens when a giant corporation loses its charismatic founder, internal conflict could break out and the team may split. However, this isn’t a case involving large-scale drug smuggling or murder, so it’s unlikely he’ll receive a sentence of 10 or 20 years. Even while Obata was on the run, someone among the executives continued supporting him, and that support will likely continue during his trial. In that case, the organization could remain united and simply wait for his release.
One possibility is that Natural may have been sending women overseas for sex work. If prosecutors are able to charge them with human trafficking, he won’t be getting out anytime soon. That could open the door for someone to attempt a takeover of the organization, or for internal divisions to begin. Ultimately, it will come down to what charges can be brought and how severe a sentence can be secured,” Ishihara added.
How serious the charges against Obata will be remains to be seen. The shadowy battle between the police and Natural appears to be entering its decisive phase.
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PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo