Japanese scam gang leader arrested in Bangkok

A Japanese man, suspected to be a leader of scam gangs, has been arrested in Bangkok. He is believed to run call-centers in Cambodia and Vietnam that target victims in Japan. The suspect, known only as Yamakushi, was wanted for several serious crimes in Japan. These include physical assault, fraud, theft, and breaches of organized crime laws. His arrest followed a police raid on a house he rented in Bangkok. On March 13, Thai authorities canceled his visa after a request from Japan. Immigration officers later found him walking nearby and took him in for questioning. Yamakushi is reportedly a former leader of a yakuza gang in Japan. Investigators found that he rented a luxury home in the Sathon district of Bangkok for about 180,000 baht per month. He had also established a company called Last Samurai Japan Co, which bought and sold expensive art. Police suspect this business was used for money laundering. During the raid, four other Japanese individuals were found in the house. All have criminal records and may be connected to Yamakushi's operations. Investigators noted that these individuals had significant amounts of money in digital wallets. The investigation is still ongoing.