- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,914
According to the NPA, more than 10,000 individuals were arrested last year for crimes tied to "anonymous and fluid criminal groups," or tokuryū, including fraud schemes and illicit part-time jobs.
The NPA coined the term tokuryū (特流), referring to a new criminal network outside traditional yakuza structures. These groups are led by anonymous organizers who recruit perpetrators via social media, concealing their direct ties to illegal activities. Tokuryū groups are heavily involved in fraud, online scams, host club-related crimes, and a wave of yamibaito robberies that plagued the Tokyo metropolitan area last year.
The NPA coined the term tokuryū (特流), referring to a new criminal network outside traditional yakuza structures. These groups are led by anonymous organizers who recruit perpetrators via social media, concealing their direct ties to illegal activities. Tokuryū groups are heavily involved in fraud, online scams, host club-related crimes, and a wave of yamibaito robberies that plagued the Tokyo metropolitan area last year.
New ‘tokuryū’ crime groups outpace yakuza in arrests
The term was coined by the National Police Agency to describe a new form of criminal group that has emerged as an alternative to traditional yakuza organizations.
Tokuryū, the shadowy criminal groups taking over from yakuza in Japan
Organised in a deliberately loose fashion, tokuryū pose fresh problems for police, as years of crackdowns see the appeal of a yakuza life fade