Six Japanese fugitives, five of them alleged members of the notorious Japan-based “JP Dragon” gang, have been arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Bulacan and Quezon provinces.
In a statement, the NBI identified those arrested as Yukio Monde, 53; Norichika Harada, 48; Nobuyuki Arima, 45; Yano Yuya, 32; Iwamoto Miyako, 34; and Ayumi Osawa, 33.
It said the six Japanese nationals were arrested by operatives of the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) during various operations that were conducted last Oct. 7.
It also said that Monde, who was arrested in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, has allegedly obtained money from a bank using forged documents and is “the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Hiroshima Summary Court in Japan for Forgery of Private Documents, Uttering Forged Private Documents, and Fraud, in violation of the Japanese Penal Code.”
Harada, the BI said, is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Fukuoka Summary Court in 2023 for theft.
“Harada and his accomplices reportedly posed as law enforcement officers to deceive elderly victims into surrendering their ATM cards and personal information, which were then used to make unauthorized withdrawals amounting to a substantial sum,” it also said.
The other Japanese nationals were arrested in Candelaria, Quezon where they were found operating online workstations and processing documents containing multiple phone numbers suspected of being used in scamming activities.
The BI said that “Japanese authorities confirmed that the four (Arima, Yuya, Miyako and Osawa) are wanted by the Fukuoka Summary Court for crimes related to fraud and theft.”
“We are fully committed to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure that the Philippines does not become a refuge for international criminals,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said.
Viado also said: “The Bureau of Immigration continues to strengthen its coordination with foreign law enforcement agencies to uphold our nation’s integrity and maintain peace and order. Those who attempt to evade justice in their own countries will find no sanctuary here.”