Editorial

17:39 JST, February 1, 2026

Criminal organizations whose members are connected via social media to make their activities difficult to track are diversifying their tactics even further. Police must employ all possible investigative methods to deter crimes.

Called “tokuryu,” these criminal groups are anonymous and fluid.

Recently, so-called hit-and-away crimes have become more conspicuous. These involve foreign nationals entering Japan as temporary visitors, committing crimes such as special fraud and then leaving the country immediately.

From January to October last year, police nationwide took action against 59 individuals, three times the number uncovered in the same period the previous year. Many of these individuals were from countries such as Malaysia and........

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