AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police have re-arrested a 26-year-old woman for allegedly swindling a middle-aged man out of 1 million yen by fabricating a story about a legal dispute.
Investigators are describing the case as an itadaki-joshi (“sugar baby”) romance scam, reports CBC TV (Nov. 9).
Reon Kawamura, a retail clerk residing in Nagoya’s Higashi Ward, faces fraud charges over the incident dating back three years.
According to police, Kawamura targeted a 55-year-old self-employed man living in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture. She allegedly extracted 1 million yen in cash from the victim by spinning a false narrative about facing severe legal troubles, pleading with him: “I’ll be in serious trouble if I don’t pay up after losing in court. Please lend me the money to pay.”
Upon her arrest, Kawamura denied the charges.
“It is true that I borrowed the money, but I had every intention of paying it back,” she was quoted by police as saying.
Investigators suspect Kawamura systematically exploited male victims using itadaki-joshi tactics, a term popularized in Japan for women who prey on romantic affection to bilk men out of their savings.
Police revealed that at least 13 men have filed complaints against Kawamura, alleging she swindled them out of a combined 30 million yen. Authorities are currently investigating her suspected involvement in additional cases.
