A vast majority of these scam operations are believed to be located within Southeast Asia.
The scale of the threat was underscored last year when overseas phone calls accounted for three-quarters of all special fraud cases reported in Japan.
Ongoing regional crackdowns by local authorities led to the apprehension of 54 individuals across four countries last year, including suspects who were subsequently repatriated to Japan.
Enforcement actions have sustained momentum into this year, with a total of 35 individuals detained across Cambodia, Indonesia, and other nations by the end of May.
To match this expanding threat, the NPA has previously hosted international summits and intensified high-level diplomatic exchanges among senior police chiefs.
However, to successfully apprehend the masterminds controlling these syndicates, the agency is now prioritising direct collaboration closer to the field.
Reflecting this strategic pivot, an NPA official commented on the deployment: “We want to establish a system in which [offenders] will definitely be caught even if they escape or stay abroad.” The official added, “The liaison is at the forefront of the efforts.”
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]