Japan Police to Analyze “Tokuryu” Communications Remotely

Tokyo, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency said Thursday that it will consider introducing a new investigation method of remotely analyzing communications and information exchanged between members of “tokuryu” loosely organized anonymous criminal groups through highly confidential apps. The method is intended to prevent damage by detecting tokuryu groups’ special fraud and other crime plans before they are put into action. A relevant panel of experts will hold its first meeting Monday to discuss technical matters, challenges in terms of human rights, such as secrecy of communication, and necessary legal preparations, partly by studying measures adopted by foreign investigative authorities, for the early implementation of the investigation technique. Its nine members, including university professors well versed in the Constitution and criminal law, a lawyer and a cybersecurity expert, will also take up issues such as the scope of information to be collected through the new investigation method and the types of crimes subject to it. The method involves remote-controlling smartphones and other devices of high-ranking tokuryu members identified through police investigations and other measures to access the records of communication and other information. This approach is intended to identify future crime plans and potential targets, prevent damage by beefing up patrolling and taking the targeted individuals into protective custody, and crack down on tokuryu organizations. Damage from special fraud, which exploits telephones and social media, remains a serious problem in Japan. At a July ministerial meeting on combating crimes, the government stressed its intention to speed up discussions on new investigation methods. Signal, Telegram and other apps used by tokuryu groups are characterized by high confidentiality, with features such as encryption and automatic deletion of messages. Currently, police analyze devices seized from perpetrators to identify those involved, but this process takes time, and the information obtained is limited. Identifying key tokuryu figures who communicate with other members only through these apps is very challenging, and such senior members tend to repeatedly commit crimes by replacing lower-ranking members. Unlike email and social media, the records of communication exchanged between users of the apps are not available to service providers, making it meaningless for police to ask the operators for the submission of such records for investigation cooperation. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]