Japan arrests senior members of Prince Group crime syndicate

Tokyo police arrested three individuals suspected of senior roles in the Prince Group, a China‑linked criminal organization described by U.S. authorities as one of Asia’s largest. The suspects – Chinese‑born Fu Shi (44), a Cypriot citizen, and two other Chinese nationals – are accused of submitting a false residence registration in central Tokyo in April 2026 and of other violations related to the group’s operations.

The Prince Group is alleged to run large‑scale human‑trafficking and “special fraud” schemes, coercing thousands of victims from 20‑50 countries into online scams and forced labor. U.S. and British governments have placed economic sanctions on the syndicate, which is said to generate criminal proceeds worth trillions of yen. The group’s founder, Chen Zhi, was arrested in Cambodia in January and transferred to Beijing for investigation. Japanese authorities are probing the suspects’ activities and residency status as part of a broader crackdown on transnational fraud networks.