Overview

• Tokyo police said four people, including Stash Cash’s alleged operator Hayashi Takechiyo, were arrested on suspicion of concealing criminal proceeds by withdrawing cash from bank accounts that had been frozen.
• Investigators allege a false notarial document claiming a debt was filed with the Tokyo District Court’s Tachikawa branch, enabling forced collection of about ¥18.17 million from a joint company’s account.
• Police said the account had been frozen because it held funds identified as fraud proceeds and that one of the suspects served as the company’s representative despite scant business activity.
• Three of the four suspects had previously been arrested and indicted twice over similar withdrawals from frozen accounts, according to police.
• In a separate development, the Kanagawa Bar Association requested a disciplinary investigation into the Odawara San-no-maru law firm after finding transfers from client trust accounts, with the firm’s representative admitting unauthorized moves for office expenses and saying he cannot presently repay clients.