Japan is currently grappling with a growing “Yami-baito” scare, a form of organized crime recruitment that has been on the rise since last year. Yami-baito targets young people through social media and flyers, enticing them with promises of quick paychecks. According to an annual white paper released by the Japanese Ministry of Justice, reported crimes increased by 17% in fiscal year 2023, reaching 703,351 cases. In response, the National Police Agency began separately tracking yami-baito-related arrests last year. This form of crime, which includes financial offenses such as money laundering and theft, as well as robberies and even murders, lures participants with the promise of “easy money.” It has contributed to rising crime rates in Japanese society, with teenagers and even foreigners becoming involved. The Sogang Herald delves into the implications of the yami-baito issue for Japanese society by examining its causes, types, and the government’s current response to this alarming trend.

What Makes People Engage in Yami-baito

The issue of yami-baito is deeply rooted in Japan’s prolonged economic recession. Many Japanese media outlets have referred to yami-baito as a “new type of crime for survival,” in that most participants are drawn to it by high-paying job advertisements—often promising over $2,000 per day—as a way to escape financial difficulties. The most common form of recruitment involves these “high-paying” job ads which attract individuals curious about lucrative opportunities. Once they apply, they are blackmailed using the personal and family information provided during the application process. Recruitment typically occurs on highly anonymous platforms, such as social media, specialized apps, or even the dark web^[1], making it incredibly difficult for applicants to back out.

  Desperate for money, individuals are lured in by promises of simple tasks with large payouts. However, by the time they provide their personal information, they are trapped and coerced into committing serious crimes, including robbery and even murder. For example, Matsuki Takarada, a suspect in a robbery-murder case in Yokohama City in October last year, revealed that he unknowingly applied to a yami-baito job. After submitting his personal information, he felt unable to refuse due to fears of his family being harmed. This case illustrates how the structured recruitment process of yami-baito makes it alarmingly easy for individuals to get involved.

  Moreover, these crimes are often orchestrated by well-organized criminal groups. Yami-baito operations typically consist of three main roles: the “instigator,” who plans and directs the crime; the “intermediary criminal,” who recruits participants; and the “executor criminal,” who carries out the crime. Alarmingly, many of these executor roles are filled by adolescents or young adults who are in desperate need of money to cover living expenses or salaries. This shows that yami-baito is not a one-off crime but rather a thoroughly planned and structured form of organized crime, making it increasingly difficult to address.

  This type of organized crime also draws parallels to Japan’s long-standing criminal organizations, such as the Yakuza gang^[2]. However, in recent years, the number of Yakuza members has declined, while yami-baito—a new, more decentralized form of organized crime—has rapidly risen, creating a new wave of social fear. The rise of yami-baito demonstrates not only the adaptability of criminal networks but also the vulnerabilities in Japanese society that make individuals, particularly young people, susceptible to exploitation.

Who Participates in Yami-baito?

The “white mask robbery” that shocked Japanese society is one of the most representative cases of yami-baito. On May 8, 2022, masked men stormed a luxury watch store in Ginza, Tokyo, threatening employees with weapons and stealing more than 100 luxury watches worth approximately ¥100 million ($1 billion). The severity of yami-baito became even more apparent when it was revealed that all four perpetrators were teenage minors. This case underscores how young people, with poor judgment and easy access to digital platforms, are particularly vulnerable to this form of crime. They are easily lured by criminals offering high incomes and are often indifferent to the moral implications of their actions due to a lack of support or attention from their families and society.

  Additionally, the rupee robberies between 2021 and 2022, which marked the emergence of yami-baito as a significant social issue, were reportedly orchestrated by ringleaders based in the Philippines. These ringleaders used Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform, to coordinate crimes that caused an estimated ¥6 billion in damage. Recently, it has also been discovered that foreigners living in Japan are engaging in yami-baito, highlighting that the issue is not exclusive to Japanese citizens.

  Investigations into yami-baito suspects reveal that most perpetrators are in their 20s and 30s and are struggling to make ends meet. Many are socially disconnected individuals, including NEET^[3] (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and hikikomori (isolated individuals), as well as unemployed youth burdened with debt. This pattern reflects broader societal issues in Japan, where economic instability, stagnant growth rates in the “0% range,” rising prices, and labor challenges such as the “minimum wage paradox” have created fertile ground for such crimes. Most yami-baito perpetrators are first-time offenders who were not previously affiliated with organized crime, suggesting that this is a fundamentally different type of crime compared to the operations of traditional criminal groups.

  A defining characteristic of yami-baito is the initial misjudgment by participants, who unwittingly disclose personal or family information during the application process. This leaves them vulnerable to threats against their safety, making it nearly impossible for them to escape once they are involved. Unlike traditional Japanese criminal groups such as the Yakuza, investigating yami-baito presents unique challenges. Even when the “executors” of the crimes are apprehended, it is often difficult to trace the chain of command back to the “instigators” or “intermediary criminals.” Surprisingly, many yami-baito participants view their involvement as “gray-baito”—work that falls into a morally ambiguous area—rather than recognizing it as outright criminal behavior. This diminished sense of guilt often stems from the fragmented structure of yami-baito operations, where participants perceive their actions as isolated tasks rather than components of a larger, coordinated crime.

  Furthermore, the advancement of information and communication technologies has significantly exacerbated the spread of yami-baito. Encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram facilitate anonymous recruitment while minimizing traces of evidence, making it far more difficult for authorities to investigate and track those involved. The convergence of advanced technology, economic instability, and social isolation has transformed yami-baito into a deeply complex and widespread criminal phenomenon, posing a significant challenge to Japanese society.

Response of the Japanese Government

The Japanese government is responding swiftly and decisively to the growing problem of yami-baito by implementing a range of countermeasures. In 2024, the National Police Agency began separately tracking yami-baito-related crimes to better understand their scope and develop targeted strategies. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has also reorganized its “Security and Terrorism Countermeasures Committee” into the “Security, Terrorism, and Cybercrime Countermeasures Committee” to specifically address yami-baito and other cyber-related crimes. Recognizing the critical role anonymity plays in recruitment, the government has started implementing measures to combat crimes facilitated through social networking services (SNS) and the dark web, which are primary platforms for recruiting participants into illegal activities.

  On December 11, a government committee proposed new regulations requiring major online platform operators, such as X, to crack down on fake job advertisements. This marks a significant step toward strengthening the screening process for suspicious job postings. Additionally, innovative investigative methods are being introduced, including the use of fake IDs to infiltrate and uncover criminal networks. These measures reflect Japan’s determination to tackle the yami-baito issue and mitigate its impact on society.

  As the number of young perpetrators involved in yami-baito has grown, the Japanese government has proposed strengthening digital education as a fundamental solution to prevent youth participation in such crimes. With approximately 42% of Japanese elementary school students (ages 6–12) now owning a smartphone, efforts are focused on reducing children's exposure to criminal activities through the unregulated use of social media. To further raise awareness about yami-baito, the government plans to collaborate with social media influencers to create and distribute educational videos, aiming to inform and protect young people from falling victim to these schemes.

Yami-baito Resulting from Japan's Complex Social Issues

As the Japanese public grows increasingly anxious about the rise of yami-baito crimes, a social phenomenon marked by surging demand for crime prevention products has emerged. Home centers have reported a significant increase in sales of security items such as sensor lights, security films, and secondary locks, reflecting how seriously the public is taking the issue and the pervasive sense of fear it has instilled. Yami-baito is a dark consequence of Japan's social transformations during the prolonged period of slow economic growth. The combination of low growth, fluctuating inflation, declining wages, and structural labor issues, coupled with the misuse of digital platforms like the dark web, has entrenched yami-baito as a deeply rooted social problem. Additionally, the rise of single-person households and the erosion of traditional family structures—exacerbated by increasing digitalization—have been identified as key contributing factors to this troubling phenomenon.

  Yami-baito is not just a Japanese problem. In December 2023, it was revealed that teenagers involved in the Gyeongbokgung Palace graffiti incident in Seoul had applied for high-paying part-time jobs on Telegram, sparking concerns that Korea, like Japan, is at risk of falling victim to this type of crime. Crucially, yami-baito is not solely a product of economic hardship but rather a complex social phenomenon fueled by structural labor issues and the misuse of digital technology. Despite the Japanese government and police authorities adopting a tough stance, the sophisticated operations of criminal organizations utilizing social media and the dark web, coupled with the economic struggles of young people and a general lack of crime awareness, make eradication challenging.

  Addressing yami-baito requires an extensive and multifaceted approach—one that goes beyond law enforcement to tackle the underlying economic and social factors driving these crimes. How Japanese society confronts this issue will have significant implications for future crime prevention models. Other countries, including Korea, must also raise awareness of the dangers posed by sophisticated organized crimes facilitated by SNS and the dark web, while proactively preparing countermeasures to mitigate the risks.

By Seohyun Park (Int’l & Social Reporter)

wha1e11@sogang.ac.kr