Trio suspected of collecting ¥500 million in FX investments without license
On 11 occasions over a one-year period through last August, Kiyofumi Takamori, the 77-year-old CEO of the Sapporo City-based investment company Earth One, his wife, 55-year-old Rika, and Yasunori Tanaka, 49, are suspected of collecting a total of around 70.3 million yen in forex exchange investments without a government-approved license from three customers, including a woman in her 40s from Yokohama City.
In soliciting the funds, one of the suspects claimed, 'If you invest, you will receive 10 times that amount in seven years.' The suspects also disguised the investments as being actually advice fees, calling them 'advisory contracts.'
In commenting on allegations of violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, Kiyofumi Takamori partially denied the allegations, 'It's true that we conducted transactions without registration, but we did not disguise the contracts.' Meanwhile, Tanaka admits to the allegations. Rika denies involvement. Kiyofumi Takamori, left, his wife Rika, center, and Yasunori Tanaka (X)
According to police, no dividends were paid to the three victims. As well, the suspects hardly responded to requests for refunds.
Prefectural police believe that Takamori and his associates raised approximately 485 million yen from at least 34 people between September 2021 and October 2024. Prefectural police are currently investigating the flow of money received from customers as the investigation continues.
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