Tokyo, Nov. 11 (Jiji Press)–Yuki Watanabe, a leader of a Philippines-based Japanese crime group, denied a charge of robbery resulting in death at the first hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Wednesday in connection with a series of robbery cases in Japan. At his lay judge trial, Watanabe said that he merely assisted his accomplices, claiming that his role was limited to aiding and abetting. He also pleaded not guilty to some of the other charges, saying he had not conspired with the others. He is the third of the four senior members of the group who were arrested and indicted to stand trial. Closing arguments and the verdict are scheduled for Dec. 2 and Dec. 14, respectively. Among the other three, Toshiya Fujita, 42, accused of robbery resulting in death, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Tokyo District Court and is appealing the ruling to a higher court. The trial of Kiyoto Imamura, 42, has yet to begin. Tomonobu Kojima, 48, who served as a recruiter for the group, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding and abetting robbery resulting in injury, and his sentence has been finalized. In its opening statement on Wednesday, the prosecutors said that Watanabe had established a base for a fraud group in the Philippines, with Kojima and Fujita joining him. In addition, Imamura, who led a separate fraud group, also used the facility. The prosecutors stated that the four were detained by local authorities by around April 2021 and held at an immigration detention facility on the outskirts of Manila. Also, Watanabe and the others needed money to escape from the detention facility or flee abroad and therefore cooperated with Imamura, who went by the alias “Luffy” and had been directing the robberies. It was alleged that Watanabe was involved in planning the robbery resulting in death and sent messages to the perpetrators, such as, “Let’s target the house when only the wife is there.” The defense also made its opening statement, arguing that Imamura and Fujita were the principal perpetrators and that Watanabe “did not have a say in the plans or methods.” He admitted to the 12 other cases of special fraud for which he was indicted. According to the indictment, Watanabe was involved as a mastermind in seven robbery cases that occurred in four of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, between October 2021 and January 2023. In one of the seven cases, perpetrators fatally assaulted a 90-year-old woman and stole luxury items, including watches, in the city of Komae in Tokyo. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
