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Tokyo Reported
2 days ago
- General
- Tokyo Reported
British man, 76, suspected of smuggling 1 kg of meth into Fukuoka
FUKUOKA (TR) – Law enforcement here has announced the arrest of a 76-year-old British man over the alleged smuggling of over 1 kilogram of methamphetamine from inside a travel bag, reports Nippon News Network (June 3). ON May 14, William John Brian Barnes allegedly concealed 1.2 kilograms of kakuseizai inside a travel bag for the purpose of sale upon arrival at Fukoka Airport on a flight from South Korea. The contraband has a street value of 73.5 million yen, according to customs officials. Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Stimulants Control Act, Barnes denied the allegations, saying he received the bag from a man he knows in South Africa. 'I bought this bag and brought it in, but I didn't know that there were stimulant drugs in it,' he said. According to sources, the large amount of methamphetamine was hidden on both sides of the leather bag. Police are investigating an organized crime ring is connected to the incident.
Tokyo Reported
23-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
American in custody after Chiba pepper-spray incident sickens 40
CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police on Friday arrested an American male following a pepper-spray incident at a shopping mall in Inzai City sickened more than 40 people, reports Nippon News Network (May 23). At around 2:40 p.m., Eri Yen-Joo Lin, 51, allegedly sprayed pepper spray at two other men, aged 72 and 69, in the parking lot of Aeon Mall Chiba New Town. Both men, who had been shopping, suffered minor injuries, police said. According to the Inzai Police Station, 44 people complained of feeling unwell after the pepper spray was sprayed by Lin. Of them, twelve were taken to a hospital. Lin told police that he had gotten into a dispute with the men over cigarettes. 'I lost my temper and sprayed the pepper spray,' he said. Police accused Lin of inflicting injury. They are also speaking with the hospitalized men to learn the details of what led to the incident. Shopping mall The shopping mall where the incident occurred is mainly composed of four buildings. The parking lot is on the first floor. After the incident, many police officers and emergency personnel gathered to deal with the situation. As well, several wheelchairs were seen being brought in and access to some of the aisles near the parking lot was restricted, reports NHK (May 23). A woman who was eating with three friends at a restaurant on the first floor of the shopping mall said, 'Suddenly, the people around me started coughing and my nose started stinging. About 20 people, including customers and store clerks, had the same symptoms. We got better quickly, but some were more severe. It was the first time something like this had happened to me, so I was surprised.' A woman in her 60s who lives in the city had come to shop at the facility. She said, 'I went into a store near the parking lot on the first floor, and suddenly started coughing uncontrollably, so the store clerk gave me some tea. My throat was itchy and it's still there. The atmosphere inside the facility was not the usual peaceful one, and I didn't know what was going on.'
Tokyo Reported
17-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Tokyo cops: Second woman was in hotel room with Raysum founder when drugs found
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have revealed that a second woman was in the hotel room with the founder of real estate investment company Raysum Co., Ltd. last year when officers entered and discovered illegal drugs, reports Nippon News Network (May 16). As previously reported, police found Tsuyoshi Tanaka, 60, to allegedly be in possession of approximately 0.859 grams of cocaine and approximately 0.208 grams of kakuseizai (methamphetamine) together with 32-year-old Miho Okumoto in a room of the hotel in Chiyoda Ward on June 24. In the latest development, police said on Friday that Mona Konishi, a 21-year-old student at the Institute of Science Tokyo, was also present in the room. Tsuyoshi Tanaka, left, Mona Konishi, center, and Miho Okumoto (X) Like Tanaka and Okukmoto, Konishi has been accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act and the Stimulants Control Act. Police did not reveal whether any of the suspects admit to the allegations. Prior to the discovery, the three suspects were in the room when a male acquaintance of Konishi broke into their room. When police rushed to the scene, they searched the room and found three bags of cocaine and methamphetamine near the bed. Police are now investigating how the suspects obtained the illegal drugs.
Tokyo Reported
06-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Kanagawa cops arrest man for leaving corpse of ex-girlfriend in Kawasaki residence
KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have accused a 27-year-old man of abandoning the body of his former girlfriend inside his residence in Kawasaki City, reports Nippon News Network (May 5). On Monday, police sent Hideyuki Shirai to prosecutors on suspicion of abandoning the body of Asahi Okazaki, 20, inside his residence between December 20 last year and April 30. On the night of April 30, police searched the home of Shirai on suspicion of violating the Stalking Prevention Act. A partially skeletal body was found in a bag. At the time of the discovery, the whereabouts of Shirai were unknown. Police later learned that he fled to the United States in early April. He arrived at Haneda International Airport on May 3. The suspect initially admitted to the charges, but has stopped speaking about the case since his arrest. That same day, police confirmed that the body found in the residence is that of Okazaki. Hideyuki Shirai (X) Stalking Okazaki is also a resident of Kawasaki. She disappeared from her home on the morning of December 20. The glass windows of her home were found to be broken and the door unlocked. Her family reported her missing to two days later. After she went missing, her family asked for information on social media. In January, it was discovered that Okazaki's bicycle was found near the home of the former boyfriend. Between December 9 and 20, Okazaki consulted with police about stalking by Shirai. 'Shirai is hanging around my house,' she said by telephone. However, police did not question Shirai during this time. Asahi Okazaki (X) 'Why did she have to go through this?' According to TV Asahi (May 6), the body of Okazakia was returned to her grandmother's house, where she had been staying until just before she went missing. According to the network, there were signs that the body had been burned. 'I met [my daughter] yesterday, and she was in a terrible state,' her father told the network. 'I have nothing but hatred for the perpetrator. It's not something a normal person would do. She was just killed and then burned. It's the same as being killed twice. I really feel sorry for my daughter. Why did she have to go through this?' Shirai participated in hip-hop. He worked as a scaffolder, but was fired due to frequent absenteeism. He met Okazaki at a bar in Kawasaki with the president of his former employer. The two started dating around April last year. According to his family, they broke up about a month later, when Shirai's stalking began. According to police, Okazaki consulted the nearest Kawasaki Rinko Police Station about domestic violence by Shirai from June onwards. The police repeatedly warned Shirai, but stopped taking action after confirming that the two had reconciled last November. However, a friend tells TV Asahi that Shirai's stalking is believed to have escalated in December when the two broke up again.
Tokyo Reported
06-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Another suspected 'Luffy' member nabbed in Manila
PHILIPPINES (TR) – Authorities here have apprehended another male Japanese national who is suspected member of the so-called 'Luffy' fraud ring. The arrest of Takuya Hoshino, 23, is fourth made by authorities in the Manila this year, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 23). On Wednesday, Philippine authorities apprehended Hoshino at a house in the capital. The Luffy group is named after the popular manga for boys. It specializes in tokushu sagi , which is a type of fraud carried out on the telephone by a caller impersonating an authority figure or a victim's relative. Takuya Hoshino Police had been searching for Hoshino after an arrest warrant was issued for him and accomplices. They are allegedly impersonated police officers, stole bank cash cards from elderly people and illegally withdrew more than 20 million yen in cash from accounts. Hoshino is believed to have committed specialized fraud from the Philippines to Japan under the direction of masterminds calling themselves Luffy. On January 20, authorities announced the apprehension of Yuhei Tsukuda, 28, in Pampanga province. He is also a suspected member of Luffy. Later that month, they arrested 43-year-old Takashi Sasaki, another suspected Luffy member. In February, authorities apprehended Eiji Shigematsu. Hoshino is expected to be deported to Japan at some point in the future.
