Latest News from Tokyo Reported
Tokyo Reported
13 hours ago
- Tokyo Reported
Saga woman in custody over fatal stabbing of employee at child welfare facility
SAGA (TR) – Saga Prefectural Police on Saturday arrested a 28-year-old woman over the alleged fatal stabbing of a female staff member at a child welfare facility in Saga City. The incident was the second involving the suspect this month, reports Fuji News Network (June 1). At a little after 5:30 p.m., a person at the child welfare facility in Kanatatecho called police to report that a woman armed with a knife was acting violently. Officers arriving at the scene found that staff member Chie Kawahara, 55, had been slashed in both arms by a person wielding a kitchen knife. She died about an hour and a half later at a hospital. Police later accused Miru Hirata of attempted murder. 'I don't remember, so I don't know,' Hirata told police in denying the allegations. Interviews with police have revealed that the knife had a blade length of approximately 13 centimeters. It was likely brought in from outside the facility. Kawahara's body had suffered multiple stab wounds and cuts to the chest and both arms. The cause of death was hemorrhagic shock due to loss of blood, police said. Police believe that Hirata came to the facility to see her child. The investigation is ongoing on suspicion of murder. Miru Hirata told police: 'I don't remember' (X) Another incident According to police, Hirata had gone wild at another welfare facility in Saga City on May 13. At one point, she screamed, 'Give me back my child!' Police took her into custody and reported the matter to the prefecture. The prefecture then decided that there was no need for involuntary hospitalization and handed her over to her family.
Tokyo Reported
17 hours ago
- Business
- Tokyo Reported
Third-party committee: Iwaki Shinkumi Bank covered up fake loans totaling ¥25 billion
FUKUSHIMA (TR) – A third-party committee tasked with unraveling the covered-up fraudulent practices of a credit union in Iwaki City revealed last week that the institution created fake loans with a total value of nearly 25 billion yen over a two-decade period. On May 30, the third-party committee, composed of lawyers and others, said in a report that credit union Iwaki Shinkumi Bank made fraudulent loans in the names of 263 persons without their knowledge along with 1,316 accounts. Of those accounts, three were for so-called 'paper companies,' meaning companies with no actual business. The misappropriation, which began at the latest in March 2004, was intended to support the cash flow of large borrowers in financial difficulty. The committee concluded that the scandal was covered up for so long through the usage of various manipulation techniques to avoid the eyes of external auditors, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (May 31). Not subject to annual audits The total amount of fraudulent loans was 24.7 billion yen through last November, when the scandal surfaced. Of the 1,293 fraudulent loans discovered in the investigation, 1,288 were kept below 50 million yen. Crucially, loans under that amount are not subject to external audits. For these cases, the credit union did not request financial documents from borrowers unless there were special circumstances. Instead, they assessed the credit risk based on whether repayments were in arrears. As a result, the company was not subject to annual audits by accounting firms. The report from the committee stated that 'the company controlled the amount of fraudulent loans and avoided an increased possibility of becoming the target of an audit.' Another cover-up technique was for many executives and employees to fill out loan application forms for fictitious loans so that no two were written in the same handwriting. A seal was also created in each depositor's name. However, seal impression certificates or other items typically needed for a loan were not included in the loan applications. Yohachi Honda: 'It's truly inexcusable' (X) 'Unavoidable' Established in 1948, Iwaki Shinkumi Bank had 15 branches and around 41,800 members as of March. The credit union had total deposits of 204.1 billion yen 121.5 billion yen in loans. Its customer base is small and medium-sized enterprises. Former chairman Jiro Ejiri played a leading role in the cover-up. He insisted in interviews with the third-party committee that '[The fraud] was unavoidable in order to protect the union. We could allow the union to collapse for the sake of small and medium-sized enterprises.' The report pointed out that 'pressure and justification that fraud was unavoidable in order to defend the organization were the cause of the incidents and long-term cover-ups.' 'It is truly inexcusable' On May 29, the Tohoku bureau of the Ministry of Finance issued a business improvement order to Iwaki Shinkumi Bank. The ministry is requesting a clarification of management responsibility, a further investigation into the truth and an improvement to a corporate culture that lacks compliance awareness. That same day, the bank said that its then chairman, Yohachi Honda, and other executives will resign to take responsibility. 'It is truly inexcusable,' Honda said. According to the ministry, Iwaki Shinkumi Bank repeatedly made fraudulent loans to its large clients through the accounts funded by the aforementioned fictitious loans opened without the permission of their account holders. They also utilized so-called 'indirect lending' to the large clients through paper companies. Indirect lending is an illegal lending technique in which a lender passes funds through an individual or another company when they are unable to lend directly to a business. This technique is often used by companies that are struggling with cash flow. Katsunobu Kato, the Minister of Finance, said on May 20, 'This is extremely regrettable. We strongly urge the credit union to thoroughly investigate the cause and implement effective measures to prevent recurrence. We will respond strictly in accordance with the law.' The bureau said that corporate governance did not function due to the massive influence held by former chairman Ejiri. The chair of the third-party committee, lawyer Hiromichi Niitsuma, said on May 30, 'The whole picture is far from being revealed.' The third-party committee also pointed out: 'This case, which involved many executives and employees over a long period of approximately 20 years and involved numerous criminal fraudulent loans, is an unprecedentedly heinous case in the history of financial institutions in Japan.'
Tokyo Reported
2 days ago
- Business
- Tokyo Reported
Chiba executive suspected of scalping tickets for MLB opening series
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 54-year-old company president for illegally reselling tickets for Major League Baseball's opening two-game series and other games at Tokyo Dome earlier this year, reports NHK (May 27). According to police, Mamoru Kokubo illegally resold 12 tickets for the opening series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs and exhibition games involving the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers in March this year. The tickets have a face value of 430,000 yen but Kokubo, a resident of Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, collected 7.89 million yen in the resale, police said. Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Ticket Resale Prohibition Act, Kokubo admitted to the allegations. 'After buying professional baseball tickets on a resale site several times, I thought I could make some extra cash. I started using the site to resell tickets,' the suspect said. 'I used the money to finance the company I run.' Mamoru Kokubo (X) Non-existent company All told, Kokubo obtained a total of 72 tickets by applying under the names of multiple companies and relatives for corporate slots in the so-called '6-game pack,' which included tickets for the two opening series games and four exhibition games. He put 62 of these tickets up for resale on a resale site, reselling them for up to 2 million yen each, making a profit of 21.8 million yen. At the time, tickets for the opening series between the Dodgers and Cubs were being bought and sold on resale sites for several times the retail price. Some tickets were being sold for anything from several hundred thousand yen to as much as 2 million yen each. According to the official website, the cheapest 'Reserved Seat A' for the '6-game pack' was on sale for 115,500 yen, while the most expensive was the 'Diamond Box' at 679,000 yen. To apply, users entered the company's name, address, name of person in charge, and contact information on the site. However, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, they are not required to submit documents or otherwise verify the existence of the company. Police suspect that Kokubo purchased tickets under the name of a non-existent company. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs played two games at Tokyo Dome in March 'Dark side is expanding' The Ticket Resale Prohibition Act came into effect in June 2019 as people who really wanted tickets had difficulty obtaining them due to unfair high-price resales by businesses and individuals. These scalpers bought up tickets and sold them on resale and auction sites at prices far above the list price. Violators are subject to one-year in prison or a fine of up to 1 million yen, or both. However, this law only applies to cases where the act is carried out 'as a business' with the intention of continuing repeatedly, so the current situation is that crackdowns are not keeping up with the spread of unfair high-price resales on resale sites. Kensaku Fukui is an attorney familiar with the issue of resale of tickets. He tells NHK, 'Online resales are very convenient, but their dark side is also expanding. It is becoming common to see listings at prices several times or even dozens of times the retail price, and ordinary people are no longer able to purchase them at the normal price. There is growing anger against hoarding and high-priced resales.' According to Fukui, resale sites allow listings anonymously. In many cases, they do not respond to requests for disclosure of information about the resellers. 'Many resale sites are structured so that the higher the resale price, the higher the commission they receive, and they are making considerable profits,' Fukui adds. 'They may be held responsible for their complicity in illegal listings. At the very least, they are being held socially responsible.'
Tokyo Reported
2 days ago
- Tokyo Reported
Suspected drug trafficker found with cocaine, meth, marijuana in Saitama
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly possessing illegal drugs with the intent to sell in Saitama Prefecture last month, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 29). At around 10:35 a.m. on April 1, Tomohiro Goto allegedly possessing 68 grams of kakuseizai (methamphetamine), 916 grams of marijuana, 229 grams of cocaine and 50 grams of MDMA, or Ecstasy, inside a vehicle parked on a street in Hanno City. The contraband has a street value of 14.5 million yen, the Machida Police Station said. Tomohiro Goto (X) Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Stimulants Control Act and the Narcotics Control Act over possession of profit, Goto admitted to the charges. 'I was making a profit by trafficking illegal drugs,' he said. The arrest is not the first for Goto. He was arrested twice in April and May on suspicion of unlawful arrest and confinement, assault and other offenses. According to police, he assaulted and confined a man and his acquaintance with whom he was having financial problems in February. When his car was searched as a part of that investigation in April, the large quantities of meth and the other drugs were found.
Tokyo Reported
2 days ago
- Tokyo Reported
Shinjuku man suspected of spraying urine on children's bicycles
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old man how is suspected of spraying urine on children's bicycles last year, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 28). On three occasions in the early hours of November 23 and 25, the suspect, a company employee, allegedly broke into residential properties in Shinjuku and Kita wards and sprayed urine on children's bicycle saddles, baskets and helmets. Upon his arrest on suspicion of trespassing and destruction of property, the suspect, a resident of Shinjuku, admitted to the allegations. 'I fantasize about [a person] riding a bicycle without knowing that someone had sprayed urine on it. It makes me feel sexually excited,' he said. According to the Hon-Fuji Police Station, the suspect carried around syringes and pump-type containers filled with urine while targeting bicycles for girls. The case is the second involving the suspect. In April, police accused him of public indecency. On the night of January 18, he allegedly exposed his private parts to a woman in her 20s on the street in Hongo, Bunkyo Ward. During the investigation, dozens of videos showing Yamada urinating on a bicycle were found on his smartphone, which led to the current investigation.
