In the wide-area robbery cases that have occurred one after another all over the country, the Metropolitan Police Department suspects that a Japanese person named "Luffy" of a group based in the Philippines was giving instructions to the executives.

When I looked into it, I found that there were actually cases in the past where Japanese people chose the Philippines as a place of escape or a base for crimes.



The Roppongi club attack incident, the ground master incident...



why the Philippines?

A lot of Japanese...

In November 2019, in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the base of a group that was believed to have made bank transfer fraud calls to Japan was exposed, and 36 Japanese people were detained.

According to investigative sources, the suspects for whom arrest warrants have been issued are believed to have played a central role in the fraud group.



The fraud group was moving from place to place, and when it was caught, it was renting a place that was originally a hotel and making phone calls to Japan for bank transfer scams.

In the video taken when the immigration authorities entered the base, black desks were lined up in the room, many smartphones were placed, and the names of financial institutions were written by prefecture on the binders on the desks. A torn note was sandwiched between them.



According to a man living in the neighborhood, the men didn't leave the base building much and had lunch on the second floor of the building.

Regarding the situation at the time of the arrest, the man said, "I saw about three buses stop and many Japanese people were taken away from the building. Crime in the Philippines is often trafficking and illegal immigration, so it was such a crime. I didn't know that they were making fraudulent calls, but I was surprised to see that many Japanese were arrested."



Also, after this incident, he said, "I think it's strange to commit crimes again in the detention center," regarding the suspicion that the suspects who were detained in the immigration facility gave instructions in multiple cases. I was.

What are the “Roppongi Club Attack Case” and the “Ground Master Incident”?

In the Philippines, there have been a series of cases where people involved in incidents in Japan have escaped or used the country as a base for crimes.



[Roppongi Club Attack]


In 2012, a male customer was beaten to death with a metal bat at a club in Roppongi. I don't know, and I'm on an international wanted list on suspicion of murder.



[Ground broker case]


In 2018, a group of ground brokers defrauded Sekisui House of about 5.5 billion yen over the sale of prime land in the city center. , was detained.

“If you give a certain amount of money, they will protect you.”

Mr. Yoshihiko Sakai, former editor-in-chief of a local newspaper published for Japanese people who has lived in the Philippines for more than 20 years, commented on the fact that the Philippines has become a destination for Japanese people to flee to and a base for crime. In the near future, Japanese people will be given preferential treatment, so they will be able to enter Japan without a visa.



He added, "Like the previous special fraud case, I'm surprised that young people in their 20s and 30s are gathering now and being involved in crimes.In the past, the Philippines had a negative image of being unsafe. But now, when I say to young people, 'Would you like to work part-time at a resort?'

Japanese government official: ``It is a mistake to avoid arrest''

Regarding the background, a Japanese government official said, "It's easy to get to from Japan, taking about five hours by plane, and the control within the Philippine authorities is relatively loose, so it's undeniable that something can be done by paying bribes. Japan and the Philippines. There is no extradition treaty between the two countries, but with the recent spate of fugitive captures and deportations, the notion that the Philippines can be used to escape arrest is false."