TOKYO — Japanese police on November 27 raided four locations in Chiba, Saitama and Osaka prefectures that were used as storage points for goods allegedly stolen in an organized theft operation by a Vietnamese group.

Investigators suspect that group leaders in Vietnam recruited people through social media who repeatedly stole large amounts of goods from pharmacies and other stores in Japan. Japanese authorities believe the theft was carried out by a “tokuryu” group — a term for criminal organizations with a high level of anonymity and fluid connections — that linked Vietnamese people in Japan and overseas.

The sites raided on November 27 included a location in Sakado City in Saitama Prefecture that was previously a Vietnamese restaurant, a house in Yachiyo City in Chiba Prefecture and a company office in Osaka City.

Based on the statements of four Vietnamese nationals, a man and a woman, who were arrested on suspicion of theft for allegedly stealing the products, these locations were used to store stolen goods before the items were sent to Vietnam, where the suspects would shipped the products.

The group is believed to have two controllers, a man and a woman, who gave instructions to the thieves. One of them, a 20-year-old woman, was previously deported for her alleged involvement in shoplifting in Japan.

Those giving the orders are said to have recruited people for “dark gigs” via social media. The thieves were directed to the Zalo communications app and given instructions. Vietnamese people in Japan who applied for the dubious jobs are said to have included former technical trainees.

The stolen goods were transported from storage bases to Narita Airport. The carriers then took them to Vietnam as hand luggage and the items are believed to have been sold in Vietnam.

According to the National Police Agency, 2,202 cases of theft by foreign visitors to Japan were reported in 2023. Of those, Vietnamese nationals were detained in 1,217 cases — more than half of the total. Police suspect there are several Vietnamese theft groups in Japan who steal large quantities of products from pharmacies, clothing retailers and other businesses.

(original Japanese by Kengo Suga and Yuka Asahina, Tokyo City News Department)