Latest news with #SaitamaPrefecturalPolice
Tokyo Reported
3 days ago
- Tokyo Reported
Saitama paper company exec illegally hired ‘cheap' foreigners
SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a male executive from a paper company located in Saitama City over alleged illegal hiring of foreign staff, reports the Saitama Shimbun (Aug. 13). The 72-year-old executive from paper processing company JT Paper Co., Ltd. allegedly employing five Indonesian men who were in Japan illegally for overstaying the periods allowed on their visas at the company's factory between March 2021 and June of this year. Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act regarding aiding and abetting illegal employment, the executive admitted to the allegations. 'The company's business was tough, so we hired illegal foreign nationals who could be hired cheaply,' he said. According to the police, an Indonesian man who had been working illegally at the company was arrested on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in February of this year when he was stopped by police on the street in Minami Ward, Saitama City. Subsequent investigations revealed that other Indonesians were also working illegally at the company of the executive.
The Mainichi
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
East Japan city councilor told to stop using title online over anti-discrimination posts
KAWAGOE, Saitama -- A municipal assembly in Saitama Prefecture passed a resolution by majority vote urging an independent councilor to refrain from using her city council title when posting on social media, after her messages opposing discrimination against foreigners invited a flood of protests and other responses. Megumi Fukushima, 44, has been sharing information on social media while clearly identifying herself as an assembly member in Tsurugashima. The assembly said the deluge of opinions and protests directed at the municipal government in response to her posts had disrupted city operations. Fukushima has criticized the resolution, saying it "infringes on her freedom of speech." In her posts, Fukushima expressed opposition to discrimination against Kurdish residents, many of whom live in the city of Kawaguchi and other parts of Saitama Prefecture. The city reportedly received a high volume of inquiries and complaints about her posts between May and July, which put a burden on responding staff. At the end of July, the municipal government received an email threatening to bomb the city hall as well as to kidnap and kill Fukushima, prompting her to file a report with Saitama Prefectural Police. The situation also led to the cancellation of a mock city council session for elementary school students that had been scheduled for Aug. 3. Yoshihiro Uchino, chairman of the assembly, apparently tried to persuade Fukushima to stop using her title on social media, but she refused. In response, assembly member Motomitsu Yamanaka of the Komeito party and others proposed the resolution, which was adopted. Yamanaka told the Mainichi Shimbun, "The resolution is not meant to restrict free speech. We just want her to stop using her city council title when making remarks unrelated to city affairs, which end up affecting city operations." Fukushima, meanwhile, stated, "This is an unjust resolution and I have no intention of complying. It takes away my opportunity to speak freely."
Tokyo Reported
17-07-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Saitama police find tens of millions of yen at residence of family of ex-Aum leader Shoko Asahara
SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police said this week that they found tens of millions of yen in cash at the residence of the wife and second son of former Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Shoko Asahara during a search earlier this year, reports Jiji Press (July 15). In 2018, the justice ministry executed Asahara — born under the name Chizuo Matsumoto — while he was on death row for the carrying out of the deadly sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system in 1995. For decades, authorities have monitored successor groups to Aum. According to the Public Security Intelligence Agency and other related parties, the wife and second son do not belong to Aleph, which is one of the cult's successor groups. However, it is believed that the group is trying to make the second son the successor to Matsumoto as the guru of the group. Public security authorities are on high alert in tracking the second son's movements. They are also interested in the financial support his widow is receiving, which makes the source of the cash critical. In 2018, the justice ministry executed Asahara while he was on death row for the carrying out of the deadly sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system in 1995 Supporting the wife's lifestyle According to an investigator, the Public Security Agency attempted to conduct an on-site inspection of the apartment in Koshigaya City in March under the Organization Control Act. However, Matsumoto's widow did not comply. After receiving a complaint from the Public Security Agency, the prefectural police instead conducted a search in mid-April on suspicion of violating the Group Control Law. During that search, they found several tens of millions of yen in cash stored in various compartments inside. Since deciding on surveillance measures for Aum-related parties in 2000, the Public Security Agency has conducted approximately 600 on-site inspections of three successor groups, including Aleph. However, the residence of Matsumoto's widow and second son is not a typical target. According to the agency, it has been revealed that Aleph paid Matsumoto's widow approximately 400,000 yen per month from 2002 to 2006 as royalties for the use of paintings she had done. As well, the funding is believed to have continued beyond 2006, which led public security authorities to believe that Aleph may be effectively supporting her lifestyle. The agency also says that Matsumoto named his second son as one of his successors while he was alive. As well, it appears that Aleph is trying to make him the leader of the group. For this reason, they suspect that the group is providing financial support to the family. Rejoin the cult Since 2013, Matsumoto's widow has tried to have her second son join Aleph, but her third daughter and others have opposed this, which has led to internal conflicts within the group's leadership. Around 2015, some of its followers split off and became known as the Yamada Group. The Supreme Court has ordered Aleph to pay approximately 1.025 billion yen in compensation to victims of a series of crimes committed by the cult, including the aforementioned sarin gas attack, but the group has not complied. In accordance with the Organization Control Act, Aleph reported assets to the government of approximately 1.3 billion yen in 2019. However, the figure was only approximately 61 million yen as reported in February 2025.
Japan Today
22-06-2025
- Japan Today
Man dressed suspiciously warm for Japanese summer chased by helicopter and arrested for fraud
By SoraNews24 Just like every year, the past week or so has been as if someone flipped a switch from non-stop rain to relentless heat and summer is suddenly underway in Japan. They say this period of mid-rainy season heat is the worst for our health since the lingering humidity makes it harder for our bodies to properly expel the heat through sweating. Whether that's true or not doesn't change the fact that the past few days have been a muggy mess in much of Japan and people are doing whatever they can to avoid heat stroke. That is, everyone except one man, apparently, who was spotted by the Saitama Prefectural Police in Kuki City on June 17. That morning the temperature was quickly rising but an officer patrolling the area found it odd that a man in front of Kuki Station was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and vest without even rolling up his sleeves to get a modicum of relief. Finding that suspicious, the officer decided to ask him some questions. However, the young man refused to answer any questions and tried to walk away but the officer followed him. The man then got into a taxi, changed to a train, and got on a shinkansen bullet train for Nagoya to get away from the officer but by this time several other members of the Saitama Prefectural Police got involved, including a helicopter that was dispatched to follow him. Meanwhile, back at headquarters, police were checking surveillance footage to see where he had been prior to Kuki Station and cross-referenced it with other investigations. They found that he had used someone else's bank card that he acquired illegally to withdraw 500,000 yen from an ATM at a convenience store in Kuki City that same morning. With that evidence in hand, an officer who was also aboard the bullet train arrested 27-year-old Sho Hara on the spot for his involvement in special fraud. Hara is denying the charges and told police, 'I know nothing.' Some readers of the news expressed amazement in comments that the officer was able to spot a criminal so well, while others took offense that wearing long sleeves in hot weather was considered suspicious behavior. 'Amazing instincts, lol!' 'They say you should wear long sleeves to keep the sun off your skin.' 'The officer has a detective's intuition.' 'But I wear long sleeves in the summer.' 'Maybe he was hiding tattoos.' 'What kind of world do we live in where a guy can't even wear long sleeves in the summer?' 'That cop deserves a huge bonus.' 'A nice Montbell Wickron is actually cooler than short sleeves in the sun.' 'He was probably just a bagman though. They still need to find the people behind it.' 'He probably has 'FRAUD MULE' tattooed on his arm.' 'I'm sure it wasn't just the long sleeves. He was probably acting strange too.' Indeed, it probably wasn't just the fact that he had long sleeves but how he was wearing them. A habitual long-sleeve wearer would do so with a certain aplomb, but this guy probably looked particularly uncomfortable as he was but made no effort to change his appearance. As we've seen before, police have learned to look out for people who look uncomfortable in their own clothing, as bagmen for fraud schemes are often given clothing at the last minute in order to impersonate a lawyer, police detective, CEO, etc. Sometimes these clothes are the wrong size or simply don't match the wearer's sensibilities, which is a guarantee that an officer will want to ask you what you're doing. Source: NTV News, Itai News Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Real fashion police: Con man arrested in Tokyo, police tipped off by ill-fitting suit -- Police Reported of Suspicious Person Fitting the Description of Police -- Pensioner pretends to be deceived by telephone fraud, helps catch criminals External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
20-06-2025
- SoraNews24
Man dressed suspiciously warm for Japanese summer chased by helicopter and arrested for fraud
He was drawing too much heat. Just like every year, the past week or so has been as if someone flipped a switch from non-stop rain to relentless heat and summer is suddenly underway in Japan. They say this period of mid-rainy season heat is the worst for our health since the lingering humidity makes it harder for our bodies to properly expel the heat through sweating. ▼ The other summer months are hardly a picnic either though. Whether that's true or not doesn't change the fact that the past few days have been a muggy mess in much of Japan and people are doing whatever they can to avoid heat stroke. That is, everyone except one man, apparently, who was spotted by the Saitama Prefectural Police in Kuki City on 17 June. That morning the temperature was quickly rising but an officer patrolling the area found it odd that a man in front of Kuki Station was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and vest without even rolling up his sleeves to get a modicum of relief. Finding that suspicious, the officer decided to ask him some questions. However, the young man refused to answer any questions and tried to walk away but the officer followed him. The man then got into a taxi, changed to a train, and got on a Shinkansen bullet train for Nagoya to get away from the officer but by this time several other members of the Saitama Prefectural Police got involved, including a helicopter that was dispatched to follow him. Meanwhile, back at headquarters, police were checking surveillance footage to see where he had been prior to Kuki Station and cross-referenced it with other investigations. They found that he had used someone else's bank card that he acquired illegally to withdraw 500,000 yen (US$344) from an ATM at a convenience store in Kuki City that same morning. With that evidence in hand, an officer who was also aboard the bullet train arrested 27-year-old Sho Hara on the spot for his involvement in special fraud. Hara is denying the charges and told police, 'I know nothing.' Some readers of the news expressed amazement in comments that the officer was able to spot a criminal so well, while others took offense that wearing long sleeves in hot weather was considered suspicious behavior. 'Amazing instincts, lol!' 'They say you should wear long sleeves to keep the sun off your skin.' 'The officer has a detective's intuition.' 'But I wear long sleeves in the summer.' 'Maybe he was hiding tattoos.' 'What kind of world do we live in where a guy can't even wear long sleeves in the summer?' 'That cop deserves a huge bonus.' 'A nice Montbell Wickron is actually cooler than short sleeves in the sun.' 'He was probably just a bagman though. They still need to find the people behind it.' 'He probably has 'FRAUD MULE' tattooed on his arm.' 'I'm sure it wasn't just the long sleeves. He was probably acting strange too.' Indeed, it probably wasn't just the fact that he had long sleeves but how he was wearing them. As the police taught our reporter Mr. Sato when he was questioned by them for being suspicious several times, it's not a single behavior but a combination of them that sets off a cop's radar. A habitual long-sleeve wearer would do so with a certain aplomb, but this guy probably looked particularly uncomfortable as he was but made no effort to change his appearance. ▼ Here's a guy who knows how to pull off long sleeves in summer. As we've seen before, police have learned to look out for people who look uncomfortable in their own clothing, as bagmen for fraud schemes are often given clothing at the last minute in order to impersonate a lawyer, police detective, CEO, etc. Sometimes these clothes are the wrong size or simply don't match the wearer's sensibilities, which is a guarantee that an officer will want to ask you what you're doing. This attention to detail and the fact that they more or less recreated the final scene of Mission: Impossible to catch this guy, show that police in Saitama are not playing around when it comes to special fraud. Source: NTV News, Itai News Featured image: Pakutaso Insert images: ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
