Most ‘Dark Part-Time Work’ Arrestees in Japan Are Young Pawns; Anonymous Ringleaders Use Threats To Exert Control

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:00 JST, December 6, 2024

Fifty-six men and women have been arrested by police over robberies and other crimes linked to so-called dark part-time jobs across Japan since August. About 80% of them were in their 20s or younger, according to a tally by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Ringleaders assigned applicants for such shady jobs among seven major roles, such as directly carrying out a crime, driving a car, preparing weapons and managing money. The ringleaders used young people as pawns while hiding their own identities by using a highly secure and confidential app.

A recent series of robberies and other crimes has involved a total of 24 cases in Tokyo and five other prefectures — Hokkaido, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa — since Aug. 27. Many of them are burglaries in which groups of men broke into houses in the early hours. As of Thursday, police have arrested 56 people on suspicion of having been involved in 22 of the 24 cases, mainly those who applied for dark part-time jobs.

The Yomiuri Shimbun analyzed the suspects’ ages, roles, statements and other data and found that most of them are young people, with 37 people, the largest proportion, in their 20s, while 10 are in their 30s and seven are younger than 20.

By role, with some people having played more than one role, the largest proportion, 52 people, played “executor” roles, including ones who acted as lookouts. Ten were “drivers” and four were “collectors and transporters of stolen things.”

Three played the role of preparing weapons such as hammers, and two illegally withdrew cash using bank cards stolen from victims. One managed transactions of a bank account to which stolen money was transferred and one acted as a recruiter who lured people who would play the executor roles on social media.

According to investigative sources, most of the suspects searched for jobs promising high rewards on the social media service X and applied for jobs such as cargo transportation and positions that were presented as “white jobs.”

At least 17 of the 56 suspects reportedly told investigators that they had applied for those shady jobs because they had wanted high rewards, saying such things as “I wanted to pay off my debts” and “I thought I would be able to earn big money.”

Meanwhile, the ringleaders are believed to have hidden their identities by using smartphones contracted under other people’s names or using phone numbers in the United States to register with the highly secure and confidential messaging app “Signal.” From behind this wall of anonymity, they gave instructions to “executors,” such as how to break into houses.

Police authorities nationwide provide consultation services for people who applied for shady jobs and had taken protective steps in 125 cases as of the end of November. About 70% of those cases involved people younger than 30, some of whom had been threatened by main culprits who said they would expose the applicants’ personal information if they declined to follow orders.

National Police Agency Commissioner General Yasuhiro Tsuyuki said at a press conference Thursday: “Please do not bow to threats. The police will protect you.”