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Filipino pub manager suspected of arranging fake marriages

TOKYO (TR) – In a joint investigation, law enforcement divisions in Tokyo and Fukushima Prefecture have arrested a female Filipino national who is suspected of arranging fake marriages, reports Kyodo News (Sept. 28).

According to police, Ema Hiratsuka, the 50-year-old manager of a pub in Taito Ward’s Asakusa area, is suspected of filing paperwork with government authorities in the capital to arrange for 10 fraudulent unions between Filipino women and Japanese men between 2013 and 2017.

The pub operated by Hiratsuka employs Filipino women. The intention of the fake marriages was for the women to obtain residency in Japan. In one case, a 22-year-old Filipino working at the pub engaged in a fake marriage with a 38-year-old Japanese man.

Ema Hiratsuka
Ema Hiratsuka (Twitter)

In addition to Hiratsuka, police have arrested 25 others persons, including 50-year-old Hiroyuki Hoshino. The suspects have been accused of forgery of notarized documents.