Crime Disability Japan Relationships

Tokyo Met Police Re-arrest Two over 85 Million Yen Fraud, Targeting the Disabled with Dating App

Tokyo police have re-arrested two men, including the alleged leader of a group accused of exploiting a dating app aimed at people with disabilities, in what investigators describe as a systematic fraud scheme targeting vulnerable users. The suspects are accused of luring victims - such as a man in his 30s - to bars in Shibuya after meeting them on the app, then falsely claiming losses like canceled reservations to demand large “compensation” payments, in one case about ¥4.7 million. Police believe the group deliberately focused on people with disabilities and may have defrauded dozens of victims out of roughly ¥85 million in total; the alleged ringleader denies the charges while another suspect has admitted involvement.

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by Michael Gillan Peckitt
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From TBS via Yahoo! Japan

April 24 2026

TOKYO – In a case in which a group is believed to have repeatedly run rip-off schemes using a matching app targeting people with disabilities and others, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have re-arrested two men, including the group’s leader.

The two re-arrested are Musashi Izawa (24), a former restaurant operator, and another man.

Around May last year, the two allegedly lured a man in his 30s they met on a matching app to a bar in Shibuya. They are suspected of defrauding him of approximately ¥4.7 million by falsely claiming, “Dealing with you took time and another customer canceled,” and demanding payment under the pretense of compensation for damages.

During questioning, Izawa has denied the charges, while the other suspect has reportedly admitted them.

Izawa is believed to be the leader of a group known as “Tokuryū,” which allegedly repeatedly carried out rip-off schemes targeting people with disabilities and others at bars in Shibuya. He had already been arrested on the 1st of this month on suspicion of fraud and related offenses.

In addition, 17 other members of the group have been arrested. Police believe the group may have defrauded a total of nearly ¥85 million from 57 victims and are continuing their investigation.

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