Tomonobu Kojima, former top executive of the Rufi Robbers, reveals… “I can understand the lies of the defendant, Seiya Fujita, who is the “commander of terror.

Scoop! Exclusive prison diary
Rare criminal group that defrauded 6 billion yen through special fraud and other schemes is divided in court

You are right about the fraud. （I did not instruct them to carry a weapon (for robbery and manslaughter), nor did I instruct them to threaten or assault (the perpetrators).

The man, who stood in court for the first time in about six months, admitted his involvement in the indictment but disputed some of the facts.

On January 26, the trial began for Seiya Fujita, 41, who was charged with manslaughter for his role in the widespread robberies committed by the “Rufy Group” throughout Japan in 2010 and 2011. Fujita also appeared as a witness in the trial of Tomonobu Kojima, 48, who was also a senior member of the organization.

Since Kojima was sentenced to 20 years in prison in July of last year (and subsequently appealed the sentence), the author has been meeting with Kojima at the Tokyo Detention Center on a weekly basis. Kojima and Fujita were both top executives in the fraud group. However, Kojima often showed strong hostility toward Fujita at the detention center. The reason for their disagreement was that he had shot him in the mouth at his own trial.

When he appeared at Kojima’s trial, Fujita testified that Kojima-san was in control of the organization’s money and people, and that Kojima-san had killed people. Kojima denied this testimony and revealed the existence of a “contact unit” led by Fujita.

Kojima also revealed that “the members of the unit used to punish those who absconded with the proceeds by stapling them to their bodies, forcing them to brush their teeth with toothbrushes inserted in their butt holes, and forcing them to have sexual intercourse with other men. Kojima also revealed that “he punished him in a degrading manner.

Before Fujita’s trial, Kojima told the author about the robbery.

The robberies were planned and carried out by Imamura (Kiyoto, 41), who called himself “Rufy,” but Fujita began directing him to carry out the robberies. However, Fujita joined in the middle of the robbery and manipulated the perpetrators, so it became a robbery.

In fact, Fujita instructed the perpetrator of the December 2010 incident in Nogata, Nakano Ward, Tokyo, that he would not pay the victim’s salary unless he beat him up. It was also Fujita who instructed the robbery perpetrators to use a Telegram account under the name “Kim” to commit violence against the perpetrators of the robbery. Fujita’s involvement made the case all the more heinous.”

Kojima describes Fujita as a “workaholic. While other executives were indulging in nightlife and casinos, Fujita was devoted to his activities as a recruiter for special fraud.

Fujita is the kind of person who uses honorifics with his business associates, even those younger than him. He was devoted to his Filipino girlfriend and refrained from playing with women. He was devoted to his Filipina girlfriend and refrained from playing with women, but he was horrified by her thoroughness. When he succeeded, he was praised lavishly; when he failed, he was purged in one fell swoop. He was nicknamed “Freeza” by his subordinates and was feared by them.

Will Fujita’s viciousness be revealed at trial?

There are seven robbery cases in which Fujita was indicted in this trial. The six cases are called by their local names: Inagi (Tokyo), Iwakuni (Yamaguchi), Nogata, Hiroshima, Chiba, and Adachi (Tokyo), plus a fatal robbery in Komae (Tokyo) that left a 90-year-old woman dead at the time.

The group’s executives gave instructions for the robberies remotely from a camp in the Philippines, far from Japan. According to Kojima, Imamura planned the robbery and gave instructions to the perpetrators. Masaki Watanabe, 41, remitted and managed the money. Fujita was in charge of securing and instructing the perpetrators. He also added this about the relationship between the executives.

At the trial, Fujita will claim that he was following the instructions of Imamura and Watanabe. But as far as I know, Imamura was rather manipulated by Fujita. Fujita and Watanabe had a plan to kill Imamura, who was the most influential person in the camp, and to take away his position in the group.

Fujita was the only person who could speak frankly to Watanabe, the group’s boss, taking advantage of his position as a long-time friend. From the statements of the perpetrators, I feel that Fujita was in command of the robbery.

He went on to argue that Fujita played a larger role than Imamura in the wide-area robberies committed by the Rufi Group. Just prior to Fujita’s trial, Kojima had also stated.

Fujita manipulated the perpetrators behind their backs, involved them in crimes, and made them disposable. Most of the perpetrators involved in the Komae Incident were sentenced to life imprisonment. He is also responsible for ruining their lives. I want Fujita to tell the truth without fear of extreme punishment. That is the only atonement we can make for the victims.”

During questioning of the accused, defense counsel referred to Fujita’s position in the camp. Every day was a day in which his life was in danger, and he had to protect himself by belonging to a Japanese group. He stated that he was not in a position to oppose the robbery plan made by the executives, and that his position was not that of a co-criminal, but that of an aider and abettor.

There are also reports that both Imamura and Watanabe have remained silent. If this is the case, Fujita’s testimony is likely to be extremely important in the robbery case. At first, Fujita remained silent during the interrogation, but his father persuaded him to start giving a statement about the case. What will he say in the future?

The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on February 16.

Kojima around 1919. After he became a prominent figure in the group, he drove a number of luxury cars and enjoyed other extravagant pursuits.

From the February 13, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY