The government is considering allowing investigators to create fake ID cards to infiltrate crime groups that solicit accomplices on social media for high-paying illegal work, known as yami baito, which has been linked to a series of nationwide burglaries, a top government spokesman said Friday.
“The government is considering new investigative measures, including allowing investigations under disguised identification,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said in a news conference. “To make sure people can live safely, and to make Japan the safest nation in the world, it is important to implement measures that can be taken as soon as possible.”
When yami baito group members recruit amateur accomplices on X or through other social media, they often ask them to send a photo of a personal ID card, such as a driver’s license, before they sign up for work. Once the crime group has the ID in hand, they can force the new recruit to follow through on the job, for example by threatening to hurt family members.
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