“Dark Part-Time Job” Crime Wave Grips Japan’s Kanto Region
Yami baito are surging in Japan, with police investigating 14 cases in the Kanto region alone.
By Marin Akasaka
There’s been a quick succession of robberies throughout the Kanto metropolitan area. Authorities are arresting suspects who allegedly applied for and participated in “dark part-time jobs” through social media. Japanese media is flooded with reports of robberies and even attempted murders suspected to be linked to this work, known as yami-baito (闇バイト) in Japanese.
In a recent incident, an assailant murdered a 75-year-old man and stole cash from his home in Yokohama, a city just outside Tokyo.
Murder and robbery are on the yami baito menu
A joint investigation headquarters covering Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures is investigating at least 14 robbery cases, suspecting that yami baito played a role in executing these crimes.
It was revealed that the suspect applied for the dark part-time jobs a few days before the incident by searching terms like “white jobs” and “high income” on social media. He stated that he applied after seeing a headline advertising “daily pay of over 150,000 yen.”
