Luffy Group leader’s violent methods exposed by robbery accomplice

The faces of the masterminds revealed by the perpetrators

The trial of Seiya Fujita (41), an executive of the “Luffy Group,” opened on January 26. The first part of the article covered Fujita’s upbringing and life in the Bicutan detention center. In this second part, we summarize Fujita’s testimony about the wide-area robberies that shook Japan.

[Read Part 1] That popular comedian and the robbery. The shocking defenses and criminal past of the “Luffy Group” executives who stunned Japan

In the series of robberies, the main masterminds were Masato Imura (41) and Fujita. Fujita used a Telegram account under the name “Kim” to send instructions, while Imura used the alias “Luffy.” Along with the account “Mitsuhashi,” which was used after a failed robbery in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture in November 2022, these three accounts were heavily used to direct the robberies.

It’s a bit complicated, but Imura’s group and Yuki Watanabe’s (41) group were originally separate. In Fujita’s words, they were different companies. Among the perpetrators recruited through black market job postings, those recruited by Imura received instructions from Imura, while those recruited by Watanabe’s group received instructions from Fujita. Cash obtained from the robberies was also sent to the Philippines via separate routes.

However, when Fujita proposed an overseas escape plan to Imura, Watanabe’s group began holding Imura’s money under the guise of managing the escape funds. From that point, they conspired together to carry out robberies.

At Fujita’s trial, one of the robbery perpetrators appeared as a witness. One such witness was Kazuki Ishiguri, arrested in connection with a robbery causing injury in Inagi City, Tokyo. Ishiguri described his impressions of Fujita (“Kim”) and Imura (“Luffy”):

“Luffy wanted to give up on the robbery after hearing from the scene, but Kim wouldn’t let it go and insisted it had to be done that day. Kim was also the one who, during the break-in, put it on speakerphone so everyone could hear, saying, ‘Think of yourself as the main character and give it your all.’ But honestly, hearing that didn’t really pump anyone up.”

“No money unless you beat them”

Among the series of robberies, the most severe sentences came from the “Hiroshima incident,” which caused serious injuries, and the Komae incident in Tokyo, which resulted in a death. In this trial, it was revealed that numerous brutal instructions were sent from the “Kim” account in relation to these incidents. Riku Nagata, already serving a life sentence and a leader among the perpetrators in these two cases, also testified. Nagata provided detailed testimony about his exchanges with “Kim,” which included:

“No money unless you hit or kick them” (repeated after the Nakano incident in December 2022).

“Karupasu-kun (Nagata’s Telegram name), who arrived late, will go at it with the monkey wrench, so the others, go ahead too. But do not kill anyone” (before the Hiroshima incident).

“This one’s going to go cold again with no arrests. No progress in the investigation” (after the Hiroshima incident).

“She’s an old lady, so don’t make her shout. Do something about it” (during the Komae incident break-in).

“Don’t kill anyone today. If you kept killing every time, it’d be dangerous (laughs)” (after the Komae incident).

Nagata also said that he and Fujita would sometimes use Telegram to boast to each other about their exploits.

Messages from the “Kim” account included statements like, “Overseas, people pull knives during deals,” “Japanese people are spoiled by peace,” and “In some places, you wake up stabbed. That’s why I always keep a gun under my bed.” Nagata replied, “I keep a monkey wrench under my bed too,” and they got excited about it.

Regarding sending messages from the “Kim” account, Fujita claimed, “It was a company phone, so the boss (Watanabe) used it too,” partially denying involvement. About the boasting, he said, “I have no exploits worth bragging about.”

There were also many discrepancies between Fujita’s and Nagata’s testimonies. Fujita described his relationship with the perpetrators, saying, “By the time of the Chiba incident in January 2023, we had become like informants, and it became unclear who was really giving the orders.”

A distorted relationship with the perpetrators

The defendant Fujita, who gave the orders, and the perpetrator Nagata met in court for the first time. During the trial, there were moments that revealed the distorted dynamic between the two. Nagata described his feelings at the time, saying, “Fujita was competent, intelligent, skilled at managing people, and meticulous in planning. I admired how he always handled things calmly. I wanted to be like him too.” After their Telegram exchanges, he added, “I truly thought he was a kind person.”

When the judge asked Nagata about his feelings toward Fujita, he replied:

“It’s because of the defendant (Fujita) that I ended up in this position. I killed people and caused serious injuries. But I also bear responsibility as someone on the scene. All I can say to the defendant is ‘I’m sorry.’ Whatever sentence he receives, I hope he does his best. To the victims, here, all I can say is ‘I’m sorry.’ I really can only say ‘I’m sorry.’”

Aside from the brutal instructions to the perpetrators, the prosecution emphasized another point: Fujita and Watanabe were the only ones managing the Telegram chats tracking the organization’s money flow after entering Bicutan detention center. Regarding this, Fujita testified that “I was just keeping them as notes, as instructed by the boss.”

Fujita also revealed that after the Komae incident, he and others sent messages to the perpetrators claiming they were members of “JP Dragon,” a Japanese criminal organization operating in the Philippines, as part of a plan to mislead the investigation.

The initial purpose of the series of robberies was to raise funds to escape overseas from Bicutan. Fujita explained:

“A year before the robberies, the escape funds for me and the boss had already been paid. I wasn’t short on money. The boss was being targeted by powerful people all over the Philippines, so he needed what might be called life money.”

He added that he repeatedly urged Watanabe and Imamura to stop the robberies, but they did not listen. Throughout, he maintained the stance that he was merely following orders.

Fujita concluded the trial saying, “I have nothing but regret, remorse, and frustration. I hope anyone considering engaging in dark part-time jobs will think about what they stand to lose and reconsider before committing a crime. I am truly sorry for what happened.”

The Luffy Group became the origin of the “Tokuryu,” an anonymous and fluid-type criminal network. The words left by the order-givers and perpetrators in court illustrated the growing threat posed by this type of crime.