Japan Police Take Action against 12,000 People over “Tokuryu” in 2025

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police took action against 12,178 people over crimes related to “tokuryu” anonymous and transient crime groups in 2025, the National Police Agency said Thursday. In a report on organized crimes released the same day, the NPA pointed to connections between tokuryu groups and traditional crime syndicates. The agency aims to uncover the full picture of tokuryu groups and identify their leaders, with its intelligence analysis office and a special team of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department, both established last year, leading the efforts. The number of individuals subject to police action was up by 2,073 from 2024. Of the 2025 total, 4,759, or roughly 40 pct, were applicants for so-called dark part-time jobs. About 70 pct of the total were aged under 40, with those in their 20s accounting for the largest share, at 37.8 pct. Those in the age group of 10-19 made up 11.4 pct. Of the total, 3,354 people allegedly committed acts breaching the law for preventing the transfer of criminal proceeds, such as bank account transfers, and 3,075 are suspected of engaging in fraud. The number of people suspected of drug offenses doubled from 2024 to 1,887. The NPA said that members of traditional gangs are engaging in a wider range of crimes by placing tokuryu groups under their control, adding that some tokuryu groups obtain funds by taking advantage of crime syndicates’ power and networks. With organized crime syndicates and foreign crime groups confirmed to have been involved in some special fraud cases abroad, including those using telephones, the NPA said that tokuryu groups are playing a key role in connecting domestic and foreign gangs. It was the first time for the agency to release such an analysis. The number of members of organized crime syndicates in Japan as of the end of 2025 fell 6.3 pct from a year before to a record low of some 17,600. That of gang members against whom law-enforcement authorities took action came to 7,335, also a record low. Meanwhile, action was taken against 14,574 individuals for drug offences in 2025, up 8.2 pct. Of them, 6,832, a record high, were related to cannabis, with people in their 20s accounting for about 50 pct and those aged 19 or under making up about 20 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]