Chinese National, 19, Re-Arrested Over Fraud Impersonating Police to Steal 36 Million Yen; Suspected Member of Sapporo Gold-Bar Fraud Ring
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.
Hokkaido Police's Sapporo Nishi Station and other units announced on August 12, 2026 that they had re-arrested a Chinese national, 19 at the time of the offense, on suspicion of fraud. According to reports by STV Hokkaido News and other outlets, he is accused of conspiring between early and late September 2025 to defraud a man in his 60s in Tokyo of 36 million yen by falsely telling him, while posing as financial institution and police staff, that his bank account had been illegally used in crime and that an arrest warrant had been issued for him.
The case came to light through an investigation into additional offenses by another Chinese national, 25, who had already been arrested as a "money collector." The newly re-arrested man has reportedly explained that he introduced a money-collector arrangement to the accomplice who actually went to collect the cash. He had already been arrested in a separate special fraud case in which a man in his 50s in Sapporo's Nishi Ward was defrauded of approximately 1.8 kilograms of gold bars, worth roughly 42 million yen.
Current status: Whether the case will be referred for prosecution and the full scope of the fraud ring's operations remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
No decision on indictment has been made at this stage, so this article reflects information from the investigative phase. An arrest is only one step in criminal procedure and does not establish guilt (the presumption of innocence). According to National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Penal Code cases involving foreign nationals visiting Japan has risen for two consecutive years since 2023, but remains below its mid-2000s peak (related article). A single case does not necessarily reflect the broader statistical trend; further developments are worth watching.