Japan Security Threats

Data and information about security threats from Japan’s black market. Intelligence and security information collected from government agencies, news articles and other public data sources.

Is it safe to travel to Japan?

There are an estimated 50,000 women from South Korea working in the sex trade in Japan. In the United States, there are an estimated 30,000 South Korean prostitutes.

Media reports state that the number of Korean prostitutes in Japan was caused by a 2004 crackdown on the sex trade in South Korea, thus sending women to Japan. With the increase in South Korean prostitutes, the prices for sex has reportedly gone down.

In 2012, it was reported that men were paying around $125 (10,000 Japanese Yen) to have sex with prostitutes for a 60 minute session. Previously, the rate was $187 (15,000 Yen) per hour.

(See more prostitution prices from around the world here)

Source: Kazutaka Shimanaka, “Enough Korean hookers in Japan to fill a stadium,” Tokyo Reporter, May 30, 2012.

Additional prostitution stats and prices available in our ebook:

Japanese Custom officials reported that there were 23,280 cases of counterfeit goods seizures in the country in 2011. The number of cases was the second-highest number of cases, following the 26,145 cases in 2008.

The cases in 2011 led to a total of 728,234 counterfeit items being seized from entering Japan. 94 percent of fake goods were seized while being transported by air mail.  The top counterfeit products seized during the year was purses and wallets, followed by clothes and shoes.

91.2 percent of the counterfeit goods originated from China. Back in 2006, China only accounted for 48.2 percent of seizure cases.

Counterfeit goods in Japan is estimated to cause at least $75 Billion in losses.

Source:  Hiroko Nakata, “Net shopping means unending flow of counterfeit brand-name goods,” Japan Times, June 19, 2012.

The Content Overseas Distribution Association, a Japanese organization enforcing intellectual property, reported that 3,300 people have been arrested between 2005 and 2011 in international markets for selling pirated DVDs of Japanese shows and music. During the 6 years, 6.5 million pirated DVDS of Japanese content was seized.

Source:  Mark Schilling, “Taiwan cracks down on piracy of Japanese drama,” Variety, March 5, 2012.



In 2011, there were a reported 44 shootings across Japan that were linked to organized crime activities. 18 of the shootings took place in the prefecture of Fukushima.

Source:  Martin Fackler, “With Risk, Japanese City Takes On Once Accepted Fact of Life: Its Gangsters,” New York Times, February 2, 2012.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported in 2011 that methamphetamine was the most widely used drug in the following Asian countries:

Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand.

(See more meth addiction facts and statistics.)

Source:  Andrew R.C. Marshall, “Special Report: In Mekong, Chinese murders and bloody diplomacy,” Reuters, January 27, 2012.

The Japan and International Motion Picture Copyright Association estimates that the movie industry in Japan loses up to $732 Million (56.4 Billion Yen) a year due to movie piracy.

The movie industry loses $305 Million (23.5 Billion Yen) directly from the piracy, with the remaining losses affecting the larger economy.

In 2010, the National Police Agency investigated 368 cases relating to movie piracy, double the amount of cases handled in 2009.

Back in 2005, movie piracy in the country caused losses of $658 Million.

Source: “Film piracy costs Japanese economy 56.4 billion a year: study,” Mainichi Daily News, November 25, 2011.

According to Japan’s National Police Agency, in 2010 there were 22 designated organized crime syndicates in the country. The number of full and part-time Yakuza members totaled 80,900, down from 88,600 in 1990. Almost half of the total organized crime membership was in the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Source: Linda Sieg, “Analysis – Japan tries, again, to cut corporate ties to yakuza,” Reuters, November 8, 2011.

According to the World Drug Report 2011, trafficking and smuggling of marijuana into Japan was decreasing but the production of domestic marijuana  was increasing.

In 2009, authorities in Japan seized 207 kilograms of cannabis compared to the 504 kilograms that was seized in 2007.

The arrests of individuals involved in growing marijuana within Japan increased to 243 in 2009, compared to 207 in 2008. In addition, the number of arrests for marijuana smuggling in Japan was 48 in 2009, compared to 85 in 2008.

Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “World Drug Report 2011,” June 2011, page 196.

There were 19 human trafficking cases investigated in Japan in 2010, down from the 28 in 2009 and the record lowest number of cases since cases have been tracked since 2001.

24 Filipinos, 12 Japanese, and 1 South Korean were found to be victims of human trafficking in Japan from those cases.

In 2009, police in Japan identified 17 victims of human trafficking. In 2005, 116 victims were found.

Source: Kyodo, “Human trafficking cases in Japan at record low in 2010,” Mainichi Daily News, February 3, 2011.

85 Iranian citizens were arrested in Japan in 2009 for drug smuggling crimes. Most of the illegal drugs being carried by the Iranians were methamphetamine.

The number of citizens from Iran were the largest number of nationalities of the 430 foreigners who were arrested for drug smuggling crimes in Japan in 2009.

(Additional facts about meth addiction and trafficking here.)

Source: Dylan Welch, “Iran gangs move into meth market: UN,” Sydney Morning Herald, November 26, 2010.