The Scale of the Nationwide Simultaneous Investigation
On March 11, 2026, under the coordination of the National Police Agency, police in 35 prefectures nationwide carried out a simultaneous investigation into illegal scout organizations. They searched 96 locations and arrested a total of 51 executives and operatives on suspicion of violating the Employment Security Act (operating a fee-charging employment-placement business without a license). This was an increase of about 40% from the 36 in the same period the previous year.
Arrests of People Connected to Natural
Of the 51 people arrested this time, six were remaining members of the group "Natural" or people connected to splinter groups. Coming as the first hearing in the trial of leader defendant Obata approached in May of the same year, the arrests sent a strong message from the authorities to forces that had been attempting to rebuild or continue the organization.
Dealing With the "Revival" of Organizations
Several of the busted organizations were confirmed to be "revival organizations" launched by former members of organizations busted in the past. The authorities said, "To strengthen our response to organizations that attempt to revive even after being busted once, we are advancing the use of a database that shares information on past crackdowns."
This article is compiled from publicly available information.