NARA (TR) – The Nara District Court has handed suspended prison sentences to four individuals, including three Chinese nationals, for their roles in operating an illegal remote pachinko gambling ring out of a local warehouse, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 4).
According to the court and investigative sources, the sophisticated operation was run from a warehouse in Yamatokoriyama City. Inside, over 100 physical pachinko and pachislot machines were set up, each equipped with internet-connected webcams.
Targeting Chinese gamblers, the ring utilized a dedicated smartphone app. Players would deposit money via bank transfer, which was then converted into in-app points, allowing them to remotely control the machines and gamble in real time. Over a 15-month period, the operators raked in profits by taking a cut of the wagers as a commission, though the exact amount of their illicit earnings remains unknown.
Between May and July, the court handed down sentences of 14 months in prison, suspended for three years, to three of the defendants: a 68-year-old Japanese former company executive who advised the ring on the gaming machines, a 32-year-old Chinese female graduate student, and a 27-year-old Chinese man who worked part-time at the warehouse.
The fourth defendant, a 32-year-old Chinese woman who quit her job at the warehouse after catching wind of the Nara Prefectural Police investigation, was handed an identical suspended sentence.
During the trial, it emerged that the four accomplices had been exploited by the ring’s mastermind — believed to be a Chinese businessman — who took advantage of their financial struggles and goodwill. However, the principal operator remains at large, an outcome authorities say highlights the stark limitations of international criminal investigations.
