Crustacean Crime: Tourists Arrested in Japan After Thousands of Stolen Crabs Found in Suitcases
What started as a few odd scratching noises from some luggage turned into one of the biggest wildlife smuggling busts in Japan. On May 6, three Chinese tourists were arrested in Kagoshima Prefecture after authorities found between 2,000 and 3,000 protected land hermit crabs packed into their suitcases.
The suspects — Liao Zhibin, 24, Song Zhanhao, 26, and Guo Jiawei, 27, — were taken into custody for allegedly violating Japan's Cultural Properties Protection Law. The crabs, weighing a total of about 160 kilograms, are known locally as
okayado-kari
and are protected as National Natural Monuments.
The discovery came after hotel staff noticed something strange. 'We kept hearing rustling coming from the suitcases we were storing for these guests,' a hotel manager told investigators. 'When we looked inside, we were stunned — bags full of hermit crabs.'
List of Contents:
Why These Crabs Matter
Wildlife Trafficking in Japan
Related Posts
Why These Crabs Matter
Okayado-kari play a vital role in the ecosystems of Japan's southern islands, including the Amami archipelago where the incident took place. The confiscated crabs have been identified as Murasaki Okayado-kari and Naki Okayado-kari, both protected species native to the southern islands.
'I feel furious about this incident,' said Katsuki Oki, chairperson of the Amami Marine Biology Research Association, which is now overseeing the crabs' care. 'These creatures play a crucial role as decomposers in our ecosystem, eating fruits like pandanus and breaking down organic matter that provides nutrients to the soil.'
'It appears to be a carefully planned operation targeting various coastal areas,' Oki noted. 'The most important thing now is to properly investigate where they were illegally harvested from and return them to nature as quickly as possible.'
The crabs are currently being kept at a facility in Amami city, where approximately 20 have already died since their rescue. If the specific collection sites cannot be identified, authorities plan to distribute the crabs across different areas around the island to minimize the ecological impact.
Wildlife Trafficking in Japan
This case highlights ongoing concerns about wildlife trafficking in Japan, particularly involving its endemic species. In recent years, authorities have strengthened enforcement against the illegal collection and export of protected Japanese species, which are often sought for exotic pet markets abroad.
The suspects could face substantial fines and imprisonment if convicted under Japan's strict wildlife protection laws. The Cultural Properties Protection Law carries penalties of up to five years in prison or fines of up to ¥5 million for those who illegally collect or possess designated natural monuments.
'Though they're easy to observe on Amami's beaches, these hermit crabs are an integral part of our island's biodiversity,' Oki emphasized. 'Their protection remains essential for maintaining our delicate coastal ecosystems.'
Related Posts
Can Japan's Illegal Exotic Animal Trade Lead to Another Pandemic?
One Man's Quest To Save Okinawa's Coral Reefs From Collapse
Artist Aki Inomata Collaborates With Hermit Crabs and Beavers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
17 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
U.S. reports the arrest of another Chinese scientist with no permit to send biological material
This image provided by United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan shows toxic plant pathogens that a Chinese scientist entering the U.S. last year stashed in his backpack, federal authorities said Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan via AP) DETROIT--A Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. 'The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,' said John Nowak, who leads field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The scientist was interviewed and arrested Sunday after arriving on a flight from China, where she is pursuing an advanced degree at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She planned to spend a year completing a project at the University of Michigan. Her shipments, including an envelope stuffed inside a book, were intercepted last year and earlier this year and opened by authorities, the FBI said. The court filing doesn't indicate whether the FBI believes the biological material was risky, though U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said smuggling 'threatens our security.' The scientist remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing Wednesday. 'It doesn't strike me as something that is dangerous in any way. But there are rules to ship biological material,' said Michael Shapira, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who read the court filing and spoke to The Associated Press. The government last week charged two Chinese scientists who are accused of conspiring to smuggle a toxic fungus into the U.S. One was turned around at the Detroit airport and sent back to China last year, while the other, a researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested. She remains in custody.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a 'mobile security crisis'
FILE - A child holds an iPhone at an Apple store on Sept. 25, 2015 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) By DAVID KLEPPER Cybersecurity investigators noticed a highly unusual software crash — it was affecting a small number of smartphones belonging to people who worked in government, politics, tech and journalism. The crashes, which began late last year and carried into 2025, were the tipoff to a sophisticated cyberattack that may have allowed hackers to infiltrate a phone without a single click from the user. The attackers left no clues about their identities, but investigators at the cybersecurity firm iVerify noticed that the victims all had something in common: They worked in fields of interest to China's government and had been targeted by Chinese hackers in the past. Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices and the apps they use as a weak link in U.S. cyberdefenses. Groups linked to China's military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts. It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and apps are and the risk that security failures could expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyberattack, those experts say. 'The world is in a mobile security crisis right now,' said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity expert at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. 'No one is watching the phones.' U.S. authorities warned in December of a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign designed to gain access to the texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. 'They were able to listen in on phone calls in real time and able to read text messages,' said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the senior Democrat on the Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, created to study the geopolitical threat from China. Chinese hackers also sought access to phones used by Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance during the 2024 campaign. The Chinese government has denied allegations of cyberespionage, and accused the U.S. of mounting its own cyberoperations. It says America cites national security as an excuse to issue sanctions against Chinese organizations and keep Chinese technology companies from the global market. 'The U.S. has long been using all kinds of despicable methods to steal other countries' secrets,' Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said at a recent press conference in response to questions about a CIA push to recruit Chinese informants. U.S. intelligence officials have said China poses a significant, persistent threat to U.S. economic and political interests, and it has harnessed the tools of digital conflict: online propaganda and disinformation, artificial intelligence and cyber surveillance and espionage designed to deliver a significant advantage in any military conflict. Mobile networks are a top concern. The U.S. and many of its closest allies have banned Chinese telecom companies from their networks. Other countries, including Germany, are phasing out Chinese involvement because of security concerns. But Chinese tech firms remain a big part of the systems in many nations, giving state-controlled companies a global footprint they could exploit for cyberattacks, experts say. Chinese telecom firms still maintain some routing and cloud storage systems in the U.S. — a growing concern to lawmakers. 'The American people deserve to know if Beijing is quietly using state-owned firms to infiltrate our critical infrastructure,' U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich. and chairman of the China committee, which in April issued subpoenas to Chinese telecom companies seeking information about their U.S. operations. Mobile devices can buy stocks, launch drones and run power plants. Their proliferation has often outpaced their security. The phones of top government officials are especially valuable, containing sensitive government information, passwords and an insider's glimpse into policy discussions and decision-making. The White House said last week that someone impersonating Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, reached out to governors, senators and business leaders with texts and phone calls. It's unclear how the person obtained Wiles' connections, but they apparently gained access to the contacts in her personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles' number, the newspaper reported. While most smartphones and tablets come with robust security, apps and connected devices often lack these protections or the regular software updates needed to stay ahead of new threats. That makes every fitness tracker, baby monitor or smart appliance another potential foothold for hackers looking to penetrate networks, retrieve information or infect systems with malware. Federal officials launched a program this year creating a 'cyber trust mark' for connected devices that meet federal security standards. But consumers and officials shouldn't lower their guard, said Snehal Antani, former chief technology officer for the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command. 'They're finding backdoors in Barbie dolls,' said Antani, now CEO of a cybersecurity firm, referring to concerns from researchers who successfully hacked the microphone of a digitally connected version of the toy. It doesn't matter how secure a mobile device is if the user doesn't follow basic security precautions, especially if their device contains classified or sensitive information, experts say. Mike Waltz, who departed as Trump's national security adviser, inadvertently added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat used to discuss military plans with other top officials. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office so he could use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, the AP has reported. Hegseth has rejected assertions that he shared classified information on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app not approved for the use of communicating classified information. China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at Syracuse University. 'They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms,' Williams said. "We just can't share things willy-nilly.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
13 Japanese Detained By Malaysian Authorities Over Fraud; Accused of Impersonating Japan Police to Fool Victims
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Buildings used as bases by fraudsters are seen in eastern Myanmar in January. BANGKOK — Thirteen Japanese nationals were detained in May by Malaysian police during raids on two facilities operated by fraudsters in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. According to Malaysian police, a total of 19 suspects, including Japanese and Chinese nationals, were detained in the raids. The suspects allegedly pretended to be officers with the Osaka prefectural police, sending online messages to targets in Japan and getting them to transfer cash. They are believed to have used this method and other similar scams for about two months. Many personal computers and mobile phones were found in the raids, local police said, as were clothes resembling the uniforms of Japanese police officers and script-like documents. There has been a series of cases in Southeast Asia in which Japanese and other foreign nationals have been detained by local police during raids on bases for fraudsters. In eastern Myanmar bordering Thailand, a large number of foreigners, including Japanese, were found to have participated in scams. In Poipet in northwestern Cambodia, 29 Japanese were detained late last month.
