TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 54-year-old man who is suspected of collecting the pension of his dead mother for nearly two decades, reports TV Asahi (Dec. 2).
Over a three-year period ending in 2018, Shinichi Ogawa, a part-time employee living in Koto Ward, allegedly collected a total of 2.8 million yen in pension payments intended for his mother.
“I used the money for living expenses, such as for food and utilities,” the suspect was quoted by police.
Ogawa’s mother died in 2003. The suspect reported her death with the ward office.
However, Ogawa filed documents with a the Japan Pension Service whereby he falsely claimed that she was still alive.
The fraud emerged through the My Number registration system, which showed his mother had died.
Police suspect that Ogawa fraudulently collected a total of 18 million yen in pension payments.
