'One of Asia's Largest Criminal Organizations': Executive Re-Arrested Over Lending Residence Card to Another Person
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.
A joint investigation unit of the Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police announced on July 5, 2026, that it had re-arrested a 44-year-old man, originally from China and holding Cypriot nationality, on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control Act (transferring or lending a residence card to another person). Investigators believe the man is an executive of "Prince Group," a Chinese-linked organization based in Cambodia that has been described as one of the largest criminal organizations in Asia.
At the same time, three Chinese nationals — men and women — were also arrested on the same charge for allegedly receiving the residence card from the man and using it to impersonate him when registering a personal seal (inkan) at the Chuo Ward office in Tokyo. Investigators suspect the misuse of the residence card may have been carried out in an organized manner and are working to determine the full extent of the scheme.
Current status: As of this writing, it has not been determined whether the case will be referred for prosecution, and all four individuals remain under investigation. This article will be updated once a decision on referral, indictment, or non-indictment is made.
A residence card is an official form of identification issued to foreign nationals residing in Japan on a mid- to long-term basis. Under the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, lending, transferring, or selling a residence card to anyone other than its holder is prohibited. Using another person's residence card to impersonate them and pass identity checks at government offices or financial institutions has been flagged as a risk that could hollow out identity-verification safeguards used when opening bank accounts or signing mobile phone contracts, and is also viewed as a problem in cases like this one, which undermine the reliability of administrative services such as personal seal registration.
Similar schemes involving residence cards have been reported in various parts of the country, including a case in Tochigi Prefecture in which Vietnamese nationals were arrested on suspicion of forgery (related coverage), and another case in which a man believed to be an executive of a separate international criminal organization was re-arrested on suspicion of illegally using a residence card (related coverage). The National Police Agency's arrest statistics broken down by nationality (related coverage) also continue to record residence card-related fraud as one category of crime committed by foreign nationals in Japan. This site will continue to monitor related developments.