Four Chinese Nationals Arrested Over Suspected Laundering of Over 300 Million Yen From Police Impersonation Scam
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
By January 23, 2026, the Metropolitan Police Department and other units had arrested three Chinese men, including a 23-year-old company executive, on suspicion of fraud, and a 23-year-old Chinese university student on suspicion of violating the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, alleging they had taken on the laundering of money obtained through special fraud schemes in which perpetrators posed as police officers.
The four-person group is believed to have taken on money-laundering work for multiple special fraud groups, laundering a combined total of more than 300 million yen through multiple bank accounts they managed since January 2025. Current status: The case is at the arrest stage, and whether prosecutors will file charges had not been determined as of this writing.
The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds regulates acts that make it difficult to trace proceeds of crime, such as the buying and selling of bank accounts or handling money transfers without verifying the sender's identity. Money obtained through special fraud is often laundered through multiple bank accounts, and cases in which university students take part as the actual operators carrying out the laundering, as in this case, have also been reported.
Among money-laundering-related cases, there has also been reporting on a case in which proceeds from special fraud were allegedly exchanged into Chinese yuan through an 'underground bank' (related coverage), pointing to an underlying reality in which special fraud and money laundering are organizationally linked.