Tokyo police have arrested Tomohiro Konno, a former member of the House of Representatives, for allegedly lending his name as a lawyer to other people and getting them to do legal work, in violation of the Lawyers Act.
Naoya Tsuji, 51, and nine others were also arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of using the name Konno, 48, against the law.
Police have not revealed whether those arrested have admitted to the charges against them.
Tsuji and others allegedly collected a total of about ¥500 million from about 900 people in 23 prefectures in the name of bail money to receive compensation for damages from fraud. The police are conducting extensive investigations into the case and suspect that there is a so-called tokuryu A criminal group, characterized by the anonymity and fluidity of its members, may be behind this.
Konno allegedly lent his name between December 2023 and January 2024 and had Tsuji and nine others do legal work to recover special fraud damages for five victims.
According to police, Konno and others used the website of the former parliament office to recruit fraud victims and demand compensation.
Tsuji and others received deposits ranging from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen and engaged in the practice of law, such as providing advice and instructions to fraud victims and concluding contracts with lawyers. It is believed that virtually no cases of damage repair took place.
According to the website and other sources, Konno obtained his law license in 2003. He participated in the House of Representatives elections in December 2012 as an official candidate for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and was elected for the first time. He served two terms, but was defeated in the 2017 House of Representatives election and has been active as a lawyer ever since.
