Japanese man arrested for assaulting and detaining Thai ex

Immigration Bureau officers arrested a Japanese man for physically assaulting and detaining his Thai ex-girlfriend. He also overstayed his visa while hiding from arrest in a Japanese kidnapping case.

The Thai woman, identified only as Bee, filed a police complaint stating that her Japanese ex-boyfriend, Ichiro, physically abused and detained her during their relationship. Bee said Ichiro exhibited aggressive behaviour and threatened to kill her multiple times.

Bee shared a screenshot of a conversation between her and Ichiro with the police. The screenshot showed Ichiro sending a picture of a gun, bullets, and other weapons to Bee as a threat. He sometimes sent videos of Bee in various places, demonstrating that he was watching her.

Bee’s family members later filed police complaints stating that Ichiro often loitered near their home while drunk, displaying violent behaviour from the middle of the night until the next morning.

Police offered protection to Bee and her family and closely monitored Ichiro until officers noticed a suspicious Toyota Alphard car appearing near the victim’s home multiple times a day.

Police stopped the car at a petrol station near the victim’s home and found Ichiro inside. The Japanese man was taken to the police station for questioning and legal proceedings.

An investigation into Ichiro’s criminal history revealed that he is a member of a major criminal gang in Japan. He and five other members had recently kidnapped a victim in Tokyo before physically assaulting and detaining them.

Ichiro then fled to Thailand from Japan and overstayed his visa while in hiding. Officers did not clarify the legal punishment issued against Ichiro.

In a related report in April, two Japanese men fled to Laos from Thailand to avoid arrest for the murder and dismemberment of another Japanese man. The two suspects were reported to be members of a yakuza gang in Japan. There is no update on their arrests.

Another Japanese national was arrested in Bangkok in June for overstaying his visa. The man was found to be involved in 111 theft cases across Japan last year, 2023.