Senior member of 'Luffy' crime ring gets 20 years in prison
Tomonobu Kojima, 47, was the first of the four indicted members of the group, whose members went by the nickname "Luffy," to receive a court ruling.
Kojima was indicted on charges of recruiting individuals involved in robbery cases from October 2022 to December 2022, including those in the city of Inagi, Tokyo, the capital's Nakano Ward and the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He also allegedly swindled a total of about ¥54 million in 2019.
During his trial, Kojima admitted to the charges, and public prosecutors sought a 23-year sentence.
The prosecutors argued that Kojima recruited perpetrators through X, formerly Twitter, and agencies for illegal part-time jobs, and concluded that he played a significant role in executing robberies.
They also claimed that Kojima served as second-in-command and safekeeper in special fraud cases, helping to maintain and expand the group's activities under leader Yuki Watanabe, 41.
Meanwhile, the defense noted that Kojima's roles as second-in-command and safekeeper were exaggerated and that he was not privy to the details of robbery plans, and suggested that an 11-year sentence would be appropriate.
The other three of the four indicted members, including Watanabe, have been charged with robbery resulting in death over a high-profile case in the Tokyo city of Komae. The dates for their first court hearings have yet to be decided.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
Suspected drone flights over Genkai nuclear plant not yet confirmed
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on Sunday corrected its announcement that three drones were found flying over Kyushu Electric Power's Genkai nuclear plant in Saga Prefecture around 9 p.m. on Saturday. The corrected announcement stated that three lights that appeared to be drones were spotted at the time. It cannot be said with certainty that they were drones, NRA officials said. According to the NRA, no drones or flying objects have been found on or around the plant's grounds following the incident. There have also been no abnormalities at the plant, such as a leak of nuclear materials. Local police and Kyushu Electric are investigating the incident.
Japan Times
10 hours ago
- Japan Times
Vietnamese technical intern arrested over Saga murder
Police have arrested a 24-year-old Vietnamese man on suspicion of murdering a woman at a house in the city of Imari, Saga Prefecture. In the incident, which occurred on Saturday, 40-year-old Japanese language instructor Maiko Mukumoto, a resident of the house, and her mother were stabbed with a knife-like object. The incident left Mukumoto dead and the mother, who is in her 70s, injured. Suspect Dam Duy Khang, who is working in Japan under the foreign technical intern training program, was arrested on Sunday. He told the police that he does not want to say anything.
NHK
18 hours ago
- NHK
Japan police arrest Vietnamese citizen for alleged murder, robbery in Saga Pref.
Police in Saga Prefecture, western Japan, have arrested a Vietnamese national on suspicion of killing a woman and robbery. A man attacked a woman and her mother with a knife-like object at their home in Imari City on Saturday. Forty-year-old Japanese language teacher Mukumoto Maiko died. Her mother in her 70s suffered neck and other injuries. The assailant fled the scene. Police said they arrested 24-year-old Dam Duy Khang on Sunday night. He lives nearby and is a technical intern trainee. Police believe the suspect entered Mukumoto's home, threatened the daughter with a knife, took more than 10,000 yen, or about 68 dollars, and killed her. The mother reportedly said they opened the front door after the intercom rang, and the attacker then demanded cash and their wallets before slashing at them. The mother also reportedly said she did not personally know the man.
