Illegal Scouting Group “Natural” vs. Police Authorities’ “Endless Exposures”: Latest Developments after the Arrest of the Top Leaders

The organization continues to operate in the entertainment district,
and making money.

It was a true blitz, and the top was captured in one fell swoop. The illegal scout group “Natural” has about 2,000 members, mainly young people, and is known as the largest and strongest (most dangerous) group in Japan. Its leader, Hiroaki Obata, 40, has been arrested by the Anti-Gang Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (since he is referred to as “Chairman Kiyama” in the investigation documents, he will be referred to as “Chairman” in this report, in accordance with the documents). The hiding place was Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, far from Kabukicho, Tokyo, where Natural’s main activities take place, 1,200 km away.

Natural is an “anonymous and liquid criminal group (Tokuryu)” that has routes to introduce women to brothels in almost every downtown area in Japan, and receives “scout backs (introduction fees)” from the brothels, which is illegal under the revised Entertainment Establishments Control Law.

The FRIDAY team has been following this mysterious organization for nearly two years, and has reported three times on the bizarre way in which it is organized as if it were an ordinary company.

We will report in detail on the latest developments in the organization, which continues to operate even after the arrest of its top leader.

Part 1: Illegal Scout Group “Natural” vs. Police Authorities: “Blitzkrieg Summit Operation” and “The Real Face of Chairman Obata” to Make a Name for Themselves

Changing “Heads” and Continuing to Move

Natural used to hold regular executive meetings once a month at a rented conference room or other location, but about a year ago, the meetings were switched to remote meetings using an app in order to avoid an investigation. According to interviews with several people involved, the chairman was also present at the meetings until very recently.

He said, “In addition to the revision of the Entertainment Business Law, the police encirclement was narrowing, and everyone had a considerable sense of crisis. In addition to the head office executives responsible for countermeasures against professionals (the police), the executive officers, representatives, and other upper management mainly spoke at the meetings, but the chairman also flew in to give instructions. The meetings sometimes lasted six to seven hours, and the chairman would stay with us the whole time. We never gave off the vibe that we were on the run,” (another active member).

At that time, the chairman’s name was displayed as “Taniyama” in the application. According to investigators, it is confirmed that in ’20, his name was “Nishida,” but as of last January, it had changed to “Nishikata,” and at the time of his arrest, to “Obata. It is said that it was not just a false name, but that he had actually even changed his family register name through adoption and other means.

Although he appeared to be relaxed with his surroundings, the fact that he frequently changed his base of operations and his name reveals that he was desperately trying to evade the investigative network.

The organization is still in motion.

The arrest for violating the Violation of the Violence Prevention Ordinance is just the beginning. The Metropolitan Police Department aims to re-arrest them for violating the Employment Security Law by pimping out women to brothels, etc. “Ultimately, we want to clarify the flow of money and drive them to the point of destroying the organization. What they are getting are the proceeds of crimes for which they pay no taxes,” said a senior investigator.

The police’s goal is the complete dismantling of the organization. This arrest is not the goal, but rather the start of a long investigation that will be a challenge to the police’s honor.

In fact, even with the arrest of the chairman, Natural is still active at this point. A person close to the center of the organization said, “The operation is systematized, and even if the head is not there, another person will take over.

To prevent the scouts in the field from getting upset, we don’t mention anything in the app that can be viewed by everyone. Even on the day after the arrest, we are still working as usual and keeping in touch with the stores we do business with. Recently, we have been using the company name ‘CLEAR’ to protect ourselves from the police, and I think many of the newer members don’t even know they belong to Natural.

The executives are moving from place to place, discussing future measures.

The application is working, and we have plenty of funds. Even if the chairman is gone for a while, we will just do our job properly.

Even if the top management is caught, it is not the end of the story. Feeding on all the desires of the nightlife district, the mysterious organization known as Natural continues to operate.

Part 1: Illegal scouting group “Natural” vs. police authorities, the “Blitzkrieg Summit Operation” and “The True Face of Chairman Obata” that put their honor on the line.

From the February 20/27, 2026 issue of FRIDAY