Less Than 1% Profit—One Mistake Cost Everything: Former Momuri CEO and Wife Reveal Their Regrets in Court

When it came to resignation agencies, “Momuri” was the name everyone knew

Promoting itself as a notification-based resignation agency service available 24 hours a day that lets you quit immediately using only LINE, while prominently advertising that it was supervised by lawyers and affiliated with a labor union, the resignation agency service Momuri attracted a large number of users after launching in March 2022.

The company’s former president, Shinji Tanimoto (37), and his wife, Shiori Tanimoto (31), a former executive of the company, are facing charges including violations of Japan’s Attorney Act for allegedly referring people wishing to resign to lawyers for compensation. Their first trial was held on May 26 at the Tokyo District Court.

“According to the indictment, although neither defendant was licensed to practice law, between June 2023 and February 2025 they referred approximately 170 people seeking to resign to two affiliated lawyers. In return, they illegally received approximately ¥2.84 million—¥16,500 per person—while falsely describing the payments as support contributions to a labor union, among other labels.

When Shinji appeared in court, he wore a navy suit and black-rimmed glasses, looking much the same as he did during his media appearances. Shiori wore a black suit with her shoulder-length hair tied back, giving a composed impression. When asked by the presiding judge about their current occupations, Shinji replied, ‘I am unemployed,’ while Shiori answered, ‘I resigned from my job.’ Both defendants admitted the charges read by the prosecution, stating, ‘That is correct,'” said a reporter from the social affairs desk of a national newspaper.

The prosecution outlined Shinji’s career as follows.

After graduating from university, he joined an amusement company, serving as a karaoke store manager for five years and then as a manager for another five years. However, finding the work physically and mentally exhausting and unable to envision himself still doing it ten years later, he resigned. During that time, he learned about the resignation agency business and thought, “Maybe I could do this myself.” In February 2022, he founded Albatross together with Shiori and another former coworker.

As more users—primarily young people—turned to the service, the business grew rapidly. Although Shinji initially handled frontline operations himself, he gradually shifted his focus to media appearances. Those efforts paid off, and Momuri became so well known that people began saying, “When you think of resignation agencies, you think of Momuri.” By 2025, the company had achieved annual sales of ¥350 million.

Meanwhile, Shiori served as the head of the company’s core Resignation Support Division.

“Shiori heard from another company in the same industry that referral fees could be earned by introducing people seeking to resign to lawyers. After hearing this from her, Shinji consulted a lawyer. According to their account, the lawyer told them that as long as the payments were characterized not as referral fees but as support contributions to a labor union, there would be no problem, and they subsequently began referring people seeking to resign,” the same reporter said.

An irreplaceable presence

Returning to the first trial mentioned at the beginning, the following are statements made by defendant Shinji Tanimotoin response to questions from his defense attorney.

—Were you aware that your actions were illegal?

“I thought that if a lawyer said it was okay, then it must be okay, so I accepted the money.”

—Why did you want to receive referral fees?

“In the early days, the business wasn’t making much profit. I thought even a few tens of thousands of yen would help. I regret my foolish actions.”

—What is your current relationship with Albatross?

“If I’m asked for advice, I’ll respond, but I won’t involve myself with the company on my own.”

With those words, he declared a complete break from the company he had once led.

Although Tanimoto appeared calm throughout the proceedings, there was one moment when he was visibly shaken: when he was asked about his wife, defendant Shiori Tanimoto. The couple has a young child, and they are currently living apart, with Shiori and the child residing at her parents’ home.

“She’s not the type of person who acts with malicious intent. She simply followed my instructions, and I feel sorry for the trouble I’ve caused her. If she’s willing, I’d like our relationship to continue.”

While defending his wife, he expressed his wish to remain married.

Next to take the witness stand was Shiori Tanimoto. Her exchange with her defense attorney proceeded as follows.

—How did you view the referral fees?

“I didn’t really understand them. I thought the money was somewhat of a gray area, but I didn’t think about it very deeply. (Omitted.) I just wanted to broaden the avenues available to clients and help them in any way I could. I also had the simplistic idea that it would be good if it led to more revenue.”

—How much profit came from the referral fees?

“I think it accounted for 0-point-something percent of our total sales—less than one percent.”

Then, when asked about her future with Shinji, who had expressed his desire to continue their marriage, Shiori replied:

“If possible, I’d like us to live together again. He has ways of thinking that are different from mine, and he’s an irreplaceable presence.”

She then lowered her head.

If the proposal she made in an effort to support her husband ultimately led to their downfall, and they lost everything over profits amounting to less than one percent, it is a deeply ironic outcome. Nevertheless, the facts of the offense remain unchanged.

The couple’s trial is scheduled to conclude on June 5.

Two days later, the first trial was also held at the Tokyo District Court for Jun Kajita (45), the representative lawyer of the law firm Ocean, who is charged with illegally accepting client referrals from Momuri.

Kajita admitted the charges, but the prosecution argued:

“He participated in criminal conduct that runs contrary to the responsibilities of lawyers, who are entrusted with upholding social justice, thereby undermining public trust in the legal profession. His criminal responsibility is grave.”

The prosecution requested a sentence of one year and six months’ imprisonment for Kajita and a ¥1.5 million fine for the law firm Ocean.

The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on June 5.