Police Move to Crack Down on Illegal Bank Account Trading

Topic Overview:

Police are going to more strongly restrict people who buy or sell bank accounts. One of the main reasons is that these bank accounts are often used for scams and fraud. In many cases, accounts are sold through social media or disguised as part time jobs. Some people do not even realize that selling a bank account is illegal. Because the current penalties are not strong enough, the government is planning to strengthen the law and impose stricter regulations.

My personal view:

I was not aware that these issues existed. Moreover, I honestly did not realize that bank accounts could be bought and sold. However, I was aware that scams and fraud have become more common in daily life, and I believe that almost everyone who uses a phone has experienced them in some way. Despite this, these crimes are often not taken as seriously as other types of crimes. In my personal view, issues related to taxes or money are treated very seriously in Japan. Therefore, the police should not focus only on tax-related matters, but also pay more attention to other crimes such as scams and fraud. At present, these crimes do not seem to carry enough weight or be treated with sufficient seriousness.

Why I decided to focus on this issue:

Scams have become a common issue, but the news does not report on scams and fraud very often. Therefore, I wanted to raise awareness about this problem and share that the government is planning to strengthen regulations from the ground up.

Speed, J. (2026, January 10). Police move to tighten money-laundering laws. The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/08/japan/crime-legal/bank-account-illegal-trading-npa/

Dornhege, M. (2025, March 31). Best Banks for opening an account in Japan: a comparison guide. Tokyo Cheapo. https://tokyocheapo.com/living/japan-banks-comparison/

Club, J. S. (2020, April 3). Registration for opening a bank account in Japan. JP SMART MAGAZINE. https://www.jpsmart-club.com/bank-account/

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