Man held on suspicion of giving information to tokuryū criminal group

Tokyo police have arrested a 53-year-old man for allegedly providing real-estate client information to a tokuryū loosely organized anonymous criminal group and alleged involvement in an attempted robbery, sources said Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested self-described real-estate agent Shinobu Ishihara, a resident of Minato Ward in the capital, on suspicion of attempted robbery and unlawful entry into a residence. The MPD has not disclosed whether the suspect has admitted to the allegations.

The arrest is believed to be the first by the MPD of a suspected information source in connection with robberies and other crimes involving tokuryū groups. Police suspect that Ishihara provided information that was used by a planner, who hired perpetrators through a recruiter to carry out a robbery attempt.

Ishihara is suspected of conspiring with Yasuhiro Nakashima, 50, in connection with an incident on March 20. Nakashima is believed to be a robbery planner and has been charged with attempted robbery and other crimes.

In the March incident, perpetrators broke a window to enter a building serving as both an architectural office and a home in Tokyo’s Koto Ward at around 7:40 p.m. and attempted to steal money and valuables from the residents, a couple in their 50s and 60s. The robbery was unsuccessful due to resistance from the couple.

According to investigative sources, Ishihara had visited the couple’s home multiple times after they consulted him about real-estate transactions. He is said to have provided Nakashima with information about the couple, including their assets and family composition, around November 2024. Nakashima is believed to have planned a robbery attempt for the following month that was later called off because they were unable to recruit enough perpetrators.

Nakashima is thought to have consulted Ishihara about targeting the couple’s home again this March, after a separate robbery attempt devised by the planner failed. Ishihara allegedly agreed to help, and was to split 50% of the money and valuables stolen equally between Nakashima and the recruiter.

Seven people have been arrested and indicted in connection with the robbery attempt targeting the couple, including Nakashima and suspects believed to be the recruiter and perpetrators. Police uncovered Ishihara’s possible involvement through statements given by those arrested as well as analyses of their smartphones.