Police on Wednesday put three people from Taiwan on an Interpol wanted list for allegedly using fake 10,000 yen bills in Asakusa, Tokyo.
The police also said they served a fresh arrest warrant for 32-year-old Chinese Liang Binghao, who was indicted on a separate charge of using counterfeit bills.
According to investigations, the four allegedly purchased a ring worth 1,300 yen at a clock shop in Asakusa on Jan. 4 using a fake 10,000 yen bill.
The police arrested Liang the same day, and were probing the case on the premise others were involved. The three others entered Japan on Jan. 3 and left the country by Jan. 6.
So far, about 2,000 bogus 10,000 yen bills have been confiscated in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as in Shizuoka, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures.
The 173 bills found in Tokyo match forged "Wa D-52" bank notes used in a 1992 case in Osaka that led to the arrests of members of a Hong Kong-based counterfeit ring.