<h3>I trusted him.</h3>
<p> A middle-aged man poses for a commemorative photo next to Fumitake Fujita, 45, co-chairman of The Japan Innovation Party, with a tight-lipped smile. At first glance, he appears to be a supporter of the party who asked for a two-shot, but in fact, the story is not as simple as that.</p>
<p> Mr. A, a man in his 60s who lives in the Kansai region, was outraged.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> I lost 48 million yen, almost all of my retirement savings, just because I trusted this man. To avoid the worst-case scenario of having to sell my house, I whipped my old bones into shape and started working part-time. &#8230;&#8230;&#8221;</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_467792" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467792" style="width: 1399px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="00aae647"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/49865ef786038ae22f3fd4027a09501c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467792" class="wp-caption-text"> A two-shot of Mr. S and Mr. Fujita. At the study session where this photo was taken, the speakers included a major politician and the head of a local government.</figcaption></figure>
<p> The man standing next to Mr. Fujita is Mr. S., an executive officer of Clear Sky, a limited liability company that develops server-related businesses. Clear made headlines when it lost touch with its 5,000 customers after bilking them out of approximately 25 billion yen, filed for third-party bankruptcy, and then filed a complaint with the Consumer Affairs Agency, seeking administrative penalties.</p>
<p> Bunshun Online&#8221; reported that Kentaro Sekimoto, 47, a former Hanshin wrestler, had played a role in building trust in Clear by attending the company&#8217;s fifth anniversary party and speaking at seminars. It is still fresh in our minds that he was forced to refrain from activities, but Clear Inc. is &#8220;also taking advantage of politicians,&#8221; according to Mr. A.</p>
<p> Attorney Hirotaro Kato of Victims&#8217; Defense Lawyers explains Clear Inc.&#8217;s modus operandi.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The company told its investors, &#8216;It is a national policy to promote the use of the latest IPFS server equipment, and if you invest in this project, you will be able to use it within a few months. If you invest in this business, we will give you a 110% return within a few months.&#8217; However, the company actually had only one server, and it is doubtful that it had the performance Clear claimed.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> All dividends that had been paid out at the time of the initial investment were stopped by February of this year. The company stopped responding to inquiries from investors. It has been a recurring tactic used in fraud cases to force people to purchase items that do not actually exist, pay out a small dividend, and then walk away with a huge amount of their investment,&#8221; said Mr. Kurokawa.</span></p>
<p> There is a reason why so many people have believed in such a shady and shoddy commercial scheme. Mr. A laments.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> S and Clear executives actively tout their interactions with big-name politicians at the company&#8217;s seminars and on social networking services. In addition to Mr. Fujita, we also saw photos of him with former prime ministers and cabinet members of the Liberal Democratic Party. If a company is headed by a person who is close to a major politician in the ruling party, it is likely to be well versed in national policy and, above all, safe. That&#8217;s what I assumed.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Mr. S. used his connections with politicians as a weapon to increase his presence at Clear.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The chief executives of Clear,&#8221; he said, &#8220;were T and his two sons, who were the real owners of the company. Next in line for the number four position was S. S was the executive director of Clear, and at the same time, he had established his own corporation as the company&#8217;s agent. When he won a contract, he got a higher percentage of the commission than a regular agent,&#8221; said a former Clear representative.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" When we asked the former minister who was used by the scammers to gain credibility..."></div>
<h3>Three lawmakers whose names were mentioned</h3>
<p> It is a common practice for scams and unscrupulous business practices to use commemorative photos taken at political fund-raising parties and other occasions with influential Diet members to gain their trust. However, Mr. S. added an extra step.</p>
<p> A former official of Clear Inc.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The photo with Mr. Fujita was taken at a study session organized by the general incorporated association &#8220;Change Japan from the Local Community. S is a close friend of Mr. H and has made connections with politicians he invites as lecturers.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The commemorative photos S took with politicians in &#8220;Changing Japan from the Community&#8221; were used to gain the trust of clients.</span></p>
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<p> In October &#8217;24, Mr. S spread on LINE a photo of Masaaki Taira, 59, a member of the House of Representatives who was then serving as Minister of Digital Affairs, sitting side by side with Mr. T&#8217;s second son. It was accompanied by the explanatory text, &#8220;I was invited to a meeting for exchange of opinions among young businessmen.</p>
<p> At a lecture meeting that Mr. S presided over last July, a congratulatory telegram was sent by Atsushi Nonaka, 49, a member of the House of Representatives, who at that time held the position of Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The second photo of Mr. S holding the congratulatory telegram was also used to gain the trust of investors.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Mr. S. said, &#8220;I did not trust S. solely because of his connections with politicians, but I would not have been deceived without them. Of course, it is Clear Inc. that is to blame, but I wish people with influence would take a stand &#8230;&#8230;&#8221; (Mr. A)</span></p>
<p> What kind of relationship do you have with Clear Inc. How do you feel about being used to gain trust from the victims? When we sent a letter of inquiry to the three legislators whose names were mentioned and to Mr. H, Mr. Nonaka&#8217;s office responded, &#8220;We were surprised to learn that there were reports that a complaint of violation of the Depositories Act was filed with the Consumer Affairs Agency by lawyers and others. Mr. Nonaka&#8217;s office responded, &#8220;We received a request for a congratulatory telegram through a local supporter and issued a message.</p>
<p> Taira&#8217;s office responded, &#8220;We are not even acquainted with Mr. T&#8217;s second son. We sincerely regret if anyone was harmed by the use of Taira&#8217;s name.</p>
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<p> Mr. Fujita and Mr. H did not respond by the deadline.</p>
<p> When we called Clear to inquire about the company&#8217;s relationship with the big-name congressmen, we received only the following guidance: &#8220;For your own convenience, we are unable to connect you.</p>
<p> The alleged company was showing off its &#8220;connections in the political world. The big-name Diet members who were taken advantage of were no doubt victims, but as public figures, they should have been more selective about the companies and people with whom they dealt.</p>
<figure id="attachment_467793" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467793" style="width: 1411px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8fc1411c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/5ec854f364fca837085706081751b1d5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467793" class="wp-caption-text"> Mr. S. holds a congratulatory telegram from Mr. Nonaka, then Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Mr. Nonaka responded that he learned of Clear&#8217;s fraud allegations through the press.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_467794" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467794" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7895a8c5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/e828b0c10105e1124ce64c544d018b25.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467794" class="wp-caption-text"> The 5th anniversary party of Clear Inc. in November 2012. Popular athletes such as Mr. Sekimoto appeared at the party, and a bouquet of flowers was presented by a famous martial artist.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_467795" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467795" style="width: 1742px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7feb9348"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/1f54c2008081e7ce744fccbfad3ba3eb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467795" class="wp-caption-text"> Mr. Taira is said to have dined with Mr. T&#8217;s second son. This photo was also spread and became a factor in the victims&#8217; trust in Clear Inc.</figcaption></figure>


 Yuuki Okukubo (freelance writer)

 The server business company "ClearSky" collected approximately 25 billion yen and lost contact with the victims. Using its friendship with politicians as a source of trust, numerous investors have suffered huge losses. Why were so many people deceived? The following is an introduction to the modus operandi of the company.

A company suspected of a “25 billion yen fraud” involving 5,000 victims showed “connections in the political world.

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