Police in Tokyo this week arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of fraudulently receiving his deceased mother's pension payments for 17 years. Fuji TV reported that the suspect is believed to have collected 18 million yen for nearly two decades.
Police said Shinichi Ogawa, a part-time worker living in Koto Ward, was initially arrested for illegally receiving his mother’s pension from 2015 to 2018. Ogawa received 2.8 million yen during those three years.
When Ogawa's mother died in 2003, the ward office issued a death certificate. But Ogawa annually filed a false report with the Japan Pension Service, concealing his mother's death in order continue to get her pension payments for 17 years. In all, Ogawa received a total of 18 million yen.
The case came to light when the Japan Pension Service was checking pensioners' existence using the My Number social security card and came across the death certificate of Ogawa’s mother.
Police said Ogawa told them he used the money for living expenses, including utilities and food.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
Login to comment
robert maes
The most incredible part here is the complete incompetence of the Japanese bureaucracy. The death was reported and registered, yet, the Pension funds computers are probably not linked. Stil, since 2003 there were 4 National Demographic head counts where until recently people were “so-called “ visited in person. ???
This one in 2020 was different but I got neither a form nor visit. Still pension and tax authorities find me very easily for my monthly payments to them.
How many are actually deceased ?
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
The japan pension “service” is a complete scam anyway, the fact that this loser got away with it for so long is proof of the farce that it is.
Mocheake
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands more like him gaming the system right now. When your retirement comes up they'll be telling you the system is bankrupt so shouganai.
JeffLee
Proof that the My Number actually works.
I assume they are now, thanks to My Number.
Gaijinjland
I highly doubt anything is linked to a digital server considering the insane amount of paperwork you have to fill out for anything at city hall.
Vanillasludge
You gotta believe this guy knew he was screwed eventually. Once he let a few checks run through he was in too deep to go back.
sir_bentley28
Yeah, some cases like these makes you show some sympathy for the people like those who were taking care of their parents for many years and now cannot find a job to take care of themselves, but this person had his cake (a part-time worker living in Koto Ward) and wanted to have someone else's ice cream too (receiving his mother’s pension from 2015 to 2018)
Also,
2015-2018 is 3 years if I'm correct. But,
Something doesn't add up.
Cricky
Considering how much the government spends on its "friends" with no accountability. This guy I believe is totally within in his rights to claim his mums pension, in the grand scheme of things it's nothing, not like he has spent trillions on a leaping event. There is an idea that leaders lead so he is just doing what the leaders do. The system is such, get what you can because leaders don't follow the rules why should we?
JeffLee
@Sir Bentley
He got 2.8 million during three years. That's about 77,000 yen a month (about the same as I expect to receive). Overall he got 18 million over 17 years, works out to 88,000 yen a month. Yeah, that adds up.
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
Given the amount of Japanese people that actually pay into the pension, or they pay once or twice to get them off their back, it’s no wonder someone would want to try and scam it. Scammers scamming the scammers. It’s a joke and they use pathetic threats to get people to pay up, out of fear they usually do, but there has never ever been one account of the pension scammers draining a bank account or seizing assets at all. They can’t, legally, they can’t do it.
JeffLee
@zichi
Not if Kosei nenkin is included.
cleo
If kosei nenkin is included, it's a bit low, isn't it?
Maybe his Mum had paid nenkin kikin, that would add a bit extra.
ushosh123
Trick me once shame on you....
serendipitous1
Wow, Mum just keeps on giving. Is he going to try the old, 'I have no recollection that she died' excuse?!
Sal Affist
The usual variant (which we see in other JT stories) is keeping his mother's body in the house with him so there is no need to report her death. If Mr. Fujioka had done that, he might not have been caught.