Category: Crime

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 3, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Crime Welfare Employment

Osaka city files criminal complaint against Kizuna Holdings over ¥15 billion in fraudulent disability employment support funds

The city of Osaka has filed a criminal complaint against the operating company of Kizuna Holdings (HD), which had been subject to administrative sanctions for fraudulently receiving approximately ¥15 billion in disability employment support benefits. As of the 1st, the city has also revoked the designation of the company’s facilities. Kizuna Holdings has filed a lawsuit against the city and plans to contest the matter in court.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 29, 2026 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Japan Podcast

The Showa Day Pod: Earthquake Advisories Lifted and ‘Disability Dating App’ Fraudster Suspects Re-Arrested [Podcast Episode]

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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 27, 2026 1
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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 24, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Crime Disability Disasters Intellectual disabilities Japan Podcast

Male Radiologist Found Guilty of Molesting Fukuoka Female Student with Intellectual Disabilities During Medical Exam [Podcast Episode]

In a retrial at the Fukuoka District Court on the 20th, Presiding Judge Shinichi Suzushima sentenced a 44-year-old male radiological technologist to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.The man had been charged with quasi-forcible indecency for touching the chest of a female student with intellectual disabilities during a 2018 medical check-up at a high school in Fukuoka Prefecture. Judge Suzushima upheld the credibility of the student’s testimony, describing the act as a “despicable crime that exploited his professional position.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 21, 2026 1
Abuse Crime Disability Intellectual disabilities Japan Medical

Male Radiologist Found Guilty of Molesting Fukuoka Female Student with Intellectual Disabilities During Medical Exam

In a retrial at the Fukuoka District Court on the 20th, Presiding Judge Shinichi Suzushima sentenced a 44-year-old male radiological technologist to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.The man had been charged with quasi-forcible indecency for touching the chest of a female student with intellectual disabilities during a 2018 medical check-up at a high school in Fukuoka Prefecture. Judge Suzushima upheld the credibility of the student’s testimony, describing the act as a “despicable crime that exploited his professional position.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 16, 2026 Number of comments0
Abuse Children Crime Disability Japan

Mother of Five-Year-Old Girl with Disabilities Abused by Ex-Care Worker Seeks “Severe Punishment”

The mother of a five-year-old girl with a disability, who was who was kidnapped and abused by a 46-year-old staff member at a facility for children with disabilities, has spoken out about the suspect’s arrest. “I cannot forgive the culprit for doing such a thing to my precious only daughter”, speaking to the Japan news programme ‘TBS Newsdig’.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 13, 2026 1
Crime Disability Employment Japan Welfare

Osaka-based Employment Support Agency Fraudulently Received Subsidies from 76 Municipalities

It is said that they abused a system intended to promote stable employment, receiving about 7.9 billion yen from Osaka City and about 7.1 billion yen from 75 other municipalities, mainly in the Kansai region. Osaka City has decided to revoke the designation of the four offices effective May 1. Including penalty charges under the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act, the city has requested the return of a total of approximately 11 billion yen.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt April 13, 2026 Number of comments0
Crime Disability Japan Podcast Welfare

Tokyo’s Toshima Ward Revokes Designation of Deaf Child Daycare Centre Over 58.3 Million Yen Fraud, Falsified Staff Reports [Podcast Episode]

Tokyo’s Toshima Ward announced on the 10th that it has revoked the designation of the childcare support service “Aton Juku – Child Development Support and After-School Day Service for Children Living with Sign Language,” after it was found to have fraudulently received approximately 58.3 million yen in benefits by concealing a staff shortage. The revocation will take effect from July 1.