TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week announced the arrest of four men, including a popular influencer, for allegedly carrying out unauthorized renovation work, reports Fuji News Network (Mar. 12).
Police have accused Kaneyuki Shimizu, 49, a resident of Shibuya Ward, and other suspects of overseeing multiple renovation companies that carried out unnecessary work, which is a violation of the Construction Business Act.
Between October and November 2023, Shimizu and the other suspects allegedly finalized contracts valued at 5.3 million and 6.93 million yen for roofing work and other services with male customers in their 50s and 60s in Kanagawa Prefecture.
However, necessary permits from the national and Kanagawa Prefecture governments were not obtained.
Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to the allegations.
Interactions with celebrities
Shimizu headed a group called Shimizu-kai. The companies under his control entered into at least 800 renovation contracts valued at around 10 billion yen over a roughly five-year period beginning around 2019. Shimizu is believed to have pocked 1 billion yen of that amount.
According to investigators, Shimizu instructed members to split contracts so that the amount did not exceed around 5 million yen in order to avoid detection.
Shimizu is active on social media. Identifying himself as “Super Salaryman Shimizu,” he showcases a lavish lifestyle, often including photographs of him with luxury wristwatches and stacks of cash. He also boasted about his interactions with celebrities.
He often posts such comments as, “Good morning! Good morning! It’s sunny today. Okinawa is sunny today too. It feels so good.”
Employees at the companies made sales through unannounced visits to residences and implemented high-pressure sales tactics. An employee might say, “Our crew is working in the area and noticed your roof needs work.”
On February 26, Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested six people, including Shimizu’s subordinates Kazuma Shoji, 33, and Kiminori Nakatani, 34, on suspicion of attempted fraud for signing contracts for unnecessary construction work.
