Tokyo police have dismantled a criminal network of brokers who coordinated thefts by selling sensitive victim information to organizers [1], [2].
This crackdown marks the first time the Metropolitan Police Department has targeted "Anken-ya," or crime brokers, who act as intermediaries. These brokers specialize in identifying high-value targets, such as elderly citizens with significant savings, and providing that data to those who hire thieves for "dark part-time jobs" [1], [2].
The investigation began following a theft in December 2025 [1] at an apartment in Tachikawa, Tokyo, where a man in his 20s lived [1], [2]. Police subsequently conducted arrests throughout March and April of this year [1], [2]. Among those detained are 26-year-old Sōto Ishikura and 39-year-old Makoto Senoo [1].
According to investigators, the network operated by creating a structured pipeline where the broker identified the target and the organizer managed the execution [1], [2]. The stolen assets in this specific case totaled approximately 9.3 million yen [1]. In total, the Metropolitan Police Department has arrested 51 people suspected of operating within this brokerage system [2].
Crime journalist Fumiaki Tada said that brokers tell organizers, "There is a project like this," and provide details about an elderly person's home and the amount of savings they possess [1].
Makoto Senoo said he provided victim information as an organizer [2]. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said this is the first time the agency has cracked down on the "Anken-ya" role [1].
“This is the first time the agency has cracked down on the 'Anken-ya' role.”
The shift toward 'crime brokerage' represents a professionalization of street crime in Japan. By separating the intelligence gathering (the broker) from the management (the organizer) and the physical theft (the hired hand), criminal networks can minimize risk to high-level members and scale their operations using digitized 'blacklists' of vulnerable citizens.
