TOKYO — Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 38-year-old former television announcer and ex-president of a medical startup on suspicion of defrauding a Tokyo-based fund company out of more than 1.6 billion yen.
Between December 2024 and February 2025, Takuya Hara, the former president of the medical startup MTU, lied to the investment company J-STAR, claiming his company’s online security service for medical institutions had been implemented in approximately 50 institutions.
“The service is currently being utilized by about 50 medical institutions,” Hara reportedly told the firm. “The estimated sales for 2024 are about 800 million yen.”
He then entered into a stock transfer agreement with J-STAR, defrauding them of approximately 1.63 billion yen.
Hara currently denies the allegations, police said.
Staged a segment
In uncovering the ruse, police revealed that the actual number of clinics working with MTU was zero, as was the revenue.
To build his company’s credibility, Hara — who previously worked as a TV announcer in Ehime Prefecture — used his media experience to orchestrate an elaborate deception. When his startup was featured on a television program, Hara allegedly provided a script to an acquaintance and staged a segment to make it appear as though a Tokyo clinic was actively using MTU’s services. He later used this broadcast to pitch the fund company.
While MTU did conduct some actual marketing work for dental clinics, clients described the operations as notoriously sloppy. A Tokyo dentist recounted a classic bait-and-switch operation to reporters.
“They came to pitch us, brought impressive cameras and a large crew, and made two or three great Instagram posts for free. It felt very promising,” the clinic director said.
“Stopped producing the content”
However, after signing a contract and paying over 1 million yen, the quality immediately vanished. “The person who introduced themselves as the manager disappeared, and they completely stopped producing the content they promised,” the dentist added.
Police are continuing their investigation into the exact flow of the money. Investigators believe Hara funneled approximately 600 million yen of the swindled cash to pay off massive personal debts.
