Luffy robberies

The Luffy robberies refer to a series of criminal incidents in Japan between 2021 and 2022, allegedly linked to a group of Japanese nationals residing in the Philippines. The group is reported to have been led by an individual using the alias "Luffy." Criminal activity associated with the group is believed to have begun in the summer of 2021, with more than 50 cases reported across 14 prefectures in Japan.

The group's origins are connected to an earlier case: in 2019, 36 Japanese nationals belonging to a scam operation called Kakeko were arrested at a hotel in Makati, Philippines, on charges related to telecommunications fraud and extortion. That scheme was estimated to have affected approximately 1,393 victims and caused losses of around ¥2 billion (₱1 billion). Those arrested were deported to Japan between 2020 and 2021, though some suspects, including Yuki Watanabe and Imamura Kiyoto, had their deportations delayed due to separate pending legal cases in the Philippines, including Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) cases.

Four individuals were identified as suspected senior figures in the network: Yuki Watanabe, known as "Big Boss," reported to be the group's leader; Imamura Kiyoto, known by the alias "Luffy," believed to have organized the Kakeko fraud group in the Philippines; Seiya Fujita, known as "Kim," described as a recruiter who used social media to solicit participants; and Tomonobu Kojima (also referred to as Tatsuhiko Shiratori), who is said to have helped manage the group's finances after joining the organization in 2018.

According to the account, the group recruited accomplices in Japan through social media using so-called "dark part-time job" postings that promised high pay. Instructions to accomplices were reportedly relayed via the Telegram messaging application. Accomplices allegedly posed as police officers or officials from the Japan Financial Services Agency to convince victims that their bank accounts had been compromised, then visited victims' homes to obtain ATM cards and withdraw funds.

On January 30, 2023, the Government of Japan formally requested the deportation of four suspects connected to the case. Toshiya Fujita and Kiyoto Imamura were deported to Japan on February 7, 2023, after their pending cases in the Philippines were dismissed; Yuki Watanabe and Tomonobu Saito were deported the following day. The Philippine Department of Justice, working with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Bureau of Immigration, reviewed the previously pending charges against the four, which were suspected of being used to delay their deportation.

In a related development, on May 26, 2024, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco announced the arrest of a 26-year-old Japanese national, Nagaura Hiroki, in Poblacion, Makati, on charges of telecommunications fraud and under an arrest warrant for theft issued by the Tokyo Summary Court. <parameter name="timeline">[{"date": "2019", "event": "36 Japanese nationals belonging to the Kakeko scam group were arrested at a hotel in Makati, Philippines, on charges of telecommunications fraud and extortion."},{"date": "2020", "event": "Deportations of Kakeko suspects to Japan began."},{"date": "2021-04-19", "event": "Yuki Watanabe was detained at the Bureau of Immigration Bicutan Detention Center."},{"date": "2021-05-28", "event": "A summary deportation order against Yuki Watanabe was issued."},{"date": "2021", "event": "Criminal activity in Japan associated with the Luffy robberies is believed to have begun, eventually spanning over 50 cases across 14 prefectures."},{"date": "2023-01-30", "event": "The Government of Japan formally requested the deportation of four suspects connected to the Luffy robberies."},{"date": "2023-02-07", "event": "Toshiya Fujita and Kiyoto Imamura were deported to Japan after their pending Philippine cases were dismissed."},{"date": "2023-02-08", "event": "Yuki Watanabe and Tomonobu Saito were deported to Japan."},{"date": "2023-02", "event": "Japanese authorities reported the arrest of all four suspects."},{"date": "2024-05-26", "event": "Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco announced the arrest of Nagaura Hiroki in Poblacion, Makati, on telecommunications fraud charges and a theft arrest warrant from the Tokyo Summary Court."}]