Overview

• On July 25, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s International Crime Control Division re-arrested Yamasaki Kotaro, a 51-year-old company executive, on suspicion of orchestrating the fraudulent procurement of Demae-can delivery accounts.
• Investigators also detained six co-conspirators, including nurse Hiroki Nanasawa and several foreign nationals from Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
• Authorities allege the network, active since 2022, generated approximately ¥54 million by coercing about 1,400 unauthorized foreign nationals to work as couriers using accounts registered under other names.
• The suspects recruited Japanese account holders and foreign delivery workers via social media, charging fees for pairing account lenders with undocumented couriers.
• The probe underscores regulatory gaps in Japan’s gig economy as police continue examining platform oversight and migrant labor exploitation.