Crime Yamibaito: Gunma town takes steps to prevent youth from joining dark gigs

If it weren't so negative, I'm sure 'yamibaito' ("dark gigs") would be Japan's buzzword in 2024.

A town in Gunma has taken proactive steps to shield young people from being lured into illegal online jobs, known as "dark gigs." This initiative comes in response to a recent surge in robberies, primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area, often linked to these illicit activities. The Oizumi Municipal Government has established a dedicated consultation service at its consumer affairs centre. Additionally, it is arranging safe houses to provide temporary shelter for individuals entangled in these criminal operations and their families and protect them from potential threats from organized crime groups. While the National Police Agency has been spearheading nationwide efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of such part-time jobs, it's noteworthy that a local government has independently taken the initiative to address this pressing issue.

The town devised the protection measures considering the cases where individuals provide personal information when applying for a job offer, not knowing that it's illegal work and may later be coerced by criminal organizations. The consultation service desk is staffed with experienced town officials who will, if necessary, coordinate with the town's legal advisers and Oizumi Police Station to protect the individuals and prevent their involvement in crimes. In October, the municipal government distributed flyers at prefectural Oizumi High School and Nishi Oura High School, warning students that "'Dark gigs' are not part-time work -- they're crimes." The same flyer was also posted on the town's website. According to the town, there was an incident where a local man in his 20s was arrested for allegedly preparing to rob a jewellery store in Chiba Prefecture in what was believed to be a dark side job. Mayor Toshiaki Murayama said, "It's also the town's role to help young people avoid falling unknowingly into criminal activity that could ruin their lives."

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Key boxes on the street have become a hotbed of crime... Dark part-timers have abused them as a site for receiving 2 million yen in special frauds... A large number of key boxes are still in Harumi, Tokyo.


Shunsuke Sato, 27, was sent to the prosecution in custody on the morning of 28 June. In 2023, he and a companion were suspected of defrauding a woman in her 60s out of 2 million yen in cash through a special fraud. According to the Metropolitan Police, Sato, working in a bar in Fukuoka Prefecture, moved to Tokyo after a customer introduced him to a good job. However, the job was a black market job.

Sato was ordered to pick up a package from a directing officer he had never met on social networking sites. He then broke into a room in a flat for viewing in Tokyo by taking the key out of the key box. He received a package of 2 million yen that was delivered to his room. Key boxes are misused by black market criminals.

Expert Seizo Sasaki, formerly of the Saitama Prefectural Police Investigation Department, points out, ' I think the police were concerned that the key box would be used as a breeding ground for crime, as many jobs to receive things are also occurring in the black market. In June 2024, key boxes were installed here and there in the Harumi area of Chuo Ward, Tokyo, where high-rise flats stand in a row. Five months have passed since the interview, and there have been new developments.

On 27 June, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department sent a 52-year-old man, the president of a real estate company, to prosecution on suspicion of installing one key box on a steel fence on a street in Harumi without permission. The key box seized contained the key to a room in the Harumi Flag condominium for sale, which was converted from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games athletes' village.

The president told investigators that he wanted to guide customers who came for a property viewing smoothly. According to the president, the real estate industry has long practised installing key boxes near rooms for viewing.

What about key boxes in the Harumi area? We visited the location we covered again in June. It found that many key boxes are still installed without permission. Some also had warning notices on them demanding their removal. Mr Sasaki, a former member of the Saitama Prefectural Police Investigation Department, said: 'For the real estate agents, they had placed the keys to the rooms for viewing. For the police, the idea is that leaving rooms open at any time is a breeding ground for crime. I urge real estate agents to know that the room can become a breeding ground for crime if they easily install a key box outside and the PIN is known.

Interesting. I wasn't really sure what a "key box" (キーボックス) was.

thomas said:

Interesting. I wasn't really sure what a "key box" (キーボックス) was.

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They are used quite a bit by real estate agents in the US as well.

Interesting that he installed it "near" the place. In the U.S. typically it's installed on the door knob. Usually a temporary measure during buying/selling a home for real estate agents to access. Probably Air BnBs use them regularly too but I'm not sure. I haven't Air BnB'd all that much.

mdchachi said:

Interesting that he installed it "near" the place. In the U.S. typically it's installed on the door knob. Usually a temporary measure during buying/selling a home for real estate agents to access. Probably Air BnBs use them regularly too but I'm not sure. I haven't Air BnB'd all that much.

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For homes yes, but for apartments and condos they are almost always hooked to the fence outside the building unless the building prohibits that which are usually only buildings with a full-time security staff that will keep the key(s) instead.