Notorious Japanese Gangsters Apprehended En Route to South Korean Casino

Japanese police believe they inadvertently caught the heads of a notorious gang of violent criminals while the suspects were making their way to a South Korean casino.

The Japanese media outlet Daily Shincho reported that police have arrested four men, all in their 20s, “just before they flew off to a South Korean casino.”

Officers arrested three of the suspects at Tokyo’s Narita Airport “as they were about to board a plane headed to South Korea.”

South Korean Casino: Destination for Japanese Gang

The trio had “a large amount of cash on them” and “were planning to spend it lavishly at a casino in South Korea,” an unnamed official told the news outlet.

“When they were first arrested, the police did not seem to see any connection to [their alleged gang crimes],” the official added.

However, on further investigation, officers were able to establish links between the suspects and a series of violent robberies in and around Tokyo.

Officers have since arrested over 40 other individuals in connection with the crimes. But the trio were three of the gang’s four main ringleaders, police believe.

At least one of the robberies resulted in the death of a septuagenarian Kanagawa Prefecture resident. Police are treating this as a suspected murder.

Officers say they are inspecting over 750 smartphones seized during raids. They also think that they have evidence that the trio masterminded at least 18 violent acts of theft.

South Korea has become a top destination for East Asian gamblers in recent years. This year, casinos in the cities of Incheon, Seoul, and Jeju have reported higher footfall and increased revenues.

Much of this growth, they say, is from high-spending VIP clients, most of whom hail from China and Japan.

Champion Racehorse Retires

Meanwhile, the Japanese media outlet Tospo Keiba reported that the owners of Casino Fountain, one of Japan’s most famous racehorses, will retire the horse to stud later this month.

Casino Fountain will run his last race at the Funabashi Kinen on December 10, having accumulated prize money worth 293.6 million yen ($1.87M) over the course of a seven-year racing career.

The horse has won 13 of 44 career races. His victories include the 2021 Kawasaki Kinen and the Kashiwa Kinen of the same year.

Japan’s horse racing industry attracts some 15.5 million bettors per year. The nation is home to 25 horse racing tracks and commands annual betting turnovers of around 33.6 trillion yen ($21.5 billion).