Young People in ‘Dark Part-Time Jobs’: Casually Applying for Such Roles Can Ruin One’s Entire Life

Editorial

16:54 JST, October 7, 2024

There is no such thing as an easy job that provides high remuneration. People must realize that casually applying for such jobs purely for money can lead to irreversible consequences.

There has been a series of robberies resulting in injuries in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture in September and October, in which groups of men have broken into houses and injured the residents to rob them of money and goods. In each case, their method included breaking into the houses by smashing windows in the early hours and then tying up the residents.

Men arrested in a Saitama Prefecture case reportedly told the police that they applied for “dark part-time jobs.” The name of the same ringleader was listed in their smartphones, so the police suspect that the same group was responsible for the multiple robberies.

It is shocking that people — mainly young people — recruited via social media are attacking ordinary households one after another for money. This is causing great anxiety in society. The police must do their utmost to catch the group, including the ringleader.

It is believed that the ringleader had information about the assets in the households before the crimes were committed. Where did they obtain these details?

Before the attack, one of the households received a visit from a renovation company and signed a contract. A large amount of cash was stored in the house. Is it possible that information on its assets was leaked to the perpetrators through the contractor who visited the house? The police are investigating also with this element in mind.

In recent years, criminal groups known as “tokuryu” have been active — their members are linked by social media, and they repeatedly form, commit crimes, then disperse. Dark part-time jobs are used to recruit members for such groups.

Perpetrators are recruited on social media for jobs touting “high remuneration” and “no risk” among other things, in a manner that does not indicate complicity in crime. Once people apply for the job, the ringleader demands that they send a picture of their ID cards and personal information such as their family makeup.

When applicants realize they are being forced to commit robberies and refuse, they reportedly receive threats such as “I will kill your family.”

Heavy prison terms are given for robberies in many cases. For criminal groups, perpetrators recruited for dark part-time jobs are nothing more than sacrificial pawns.

Casually applying for a job as a quick way to get money will not only ruin a person’s life but also entangle their family.

It is important to repeatedly tell the younger generation, at home and at school, to never apply for dark part-time jobs.

Last January, an elderly woman was killed in an attack on her house in Komae, Tokyo, by a group of robbers recruited for such work.

The ringleader, who went by “Luffy,” and others were arrested, but that does not mean tokuryu groups were wiped out. It is also important for each household to take measures to protect themselves, such as not keeping large amounts of cash at home.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 7, 2024)