The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has expanded a team for initial cybercrime investigations, such as identifying bank accounts involved in online fraud and senders of information on child pornography and drug trafficking.
The team is led by a senior official of the MPD’s cybercrime division, while its members are sent from other prefectural police departments in the country. In April, the number of team members was boosted from 28 to 46, sent from each of 46 of the country’s 47 prefectures, excluding Tokyo.
The increase is expected to “enable faster investigations,” said a senior MPD official, adding that members will be able to share know-how they have learned while working on the team when they return to their prefectures.
The team conducts initial investigations of cybercrime cases nationwide and hands the cases over to local police departments, as many major banks and internet service providers are headquartered in Tokyo and surrounding areas. This system started in 2011.
Cybercrime is on the rise, and the amount of money involved in online banking fraud reached a record ¥8.7 billion in 2023.
The MPD receives thousands of requests each year to investigate cybercrime cases. “The importance of the (initial investigation) team is growing,” said an MPD executive.