Osaka policewoman nabbed for impersonating men in romance scams
By TR
Osaka policewoman is accused of pretending to be a Canadian doctor working in Yemen who suddenly needed to return home to look after his sick mother
Hapless bandits beaten off by store staff wielding ‘sasumata’ pole
By TR
A sasumata is a two-pronged pole and used to catch criminals or animals, adapted from a samurai-era weapon
Man plunges to death from view deck at Roppongi Hills
By Tokyo Reporter Staff
Roppongi Hills Sky Deck is approximately 240 meters above the ground
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara’s wife linked to suspicious death of ex-husband
By Mieko Shimizu
Shukan Bunshun also claims Kihara has an illegitimate child with his mistress

Trial reveals how man’s live-app addiction led to depression, suicide bid via arson
By Tokyo Reporter Staff
Regarding the app, he said, 'I wanted to stop, but I couldn't'
Man suspected of killing ex-girlfriend sent ‘farewell’ text to friend before fatal leap in front of train
By Tokyo Reporter Staff
At one point, Takuya Minami wrote to a friend, 'I no longer have the will to live'
Tokyo cops nab 16 over bill-padding con played out in Kabukicho
By Tokyo Reporter Staff
Suspects accompanied victims to convenience store ATMs so that they could withdraw cash
1 man, 6 others forced acquaintance to leap from cliff in framing murder as suicide
By Tokyo Reporter Staff
Body of Yuki Shimada was found at the cliffs of Tojinbo on October 19, 2019

Tokyo police: Hooker ring used KakaoTalk to recruit customers

By Tokyo Reporter Staff on November 26, 2014

The suspects had acquired 120 identification codes for KakaoTalk and other similar services

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday announced the bust of a prostitution ring that utilized social media services to recruit customers, reports Nippon News Network (Nov. 26).

Officers took Teppei Aruga, the 24-year-old manager of a adult-entertainment parlor, Yusuke Susuga, 25, and three others into custody for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law for allegedly impersonating women on chat applications like KakaoTalk and deai-kei “encounter” matchmaking sites to introduce male customers to female prostitutes.