Stalker killing spotlights unethical private detective agencies

In TV dramas and comic books, private investigators often figure as shrewd sleuths who come up with crafty solutions to crimes. But the real world, reports Yukan Fuji (Nov 14), can be quite different. For instance, a detective for hire helped give information to a stalker with which he tracked down and murdered a woman he had been for tormenting for years.

The operative involved in this particular case -- the murder of Zushi resident Rie Miyoshi, 33, in November 2012 -- is being denounced by other members of the profession as an "amoral crook." Unfortunately, individual data can be easily obtained, and similar cases in which private investigative agencies abetted criminal behavior appear to be more common than one might think.

As a result of the police investigation into the circumstances of Miyoshi's murder, Hirotoshi Kohama, proprietor of the "Ask Me" agency based in Tokyo's Meguro Ward, and another employee were arrested on charges of violating the fair competition law.

It is believed that Kohama, posing as the sought woman's husband, telephoned the tax division of the Zushi city hall office to discuss a delay in tax payment. Kohama purposely garbled his name, and when the official asked him to repeat it he feigned anger and snapped, "Didn't I just tell you?"

"Kohama has no real investigative skills, and nobody in the investigative field wanted to have anything to do with him," said a source in the trade. "Even for easy jobs, he was likely to take unnecessary risks."

A probe into shady tactics in the private investigation business conducted by the Aichi prefectural police found that firms or operations that search for data often cut corners by using people who are normally obliged to maintain confidentiality -- such as sales staff at cell phone shops or judicial scriveners who are empowered to obtain access to family registration data at city offices.

In this age of information technology moreover, it's become easier than ever to track down people utilizing tools readily at hand.

"Using the Internet, you can find a person's name, address and telephone up to a point," a private investigator tells the newspaper. "Facebook is a treasure house of information. You can get practically anything: their home town, or alma mater, or even what they did yesterday."

"In the old days we used to aim at asking people at home-delivery pizza services. If we give a rough description of where we think they live, the shop will tell us who lives there," he adds.

Some investigators resort to tactics of intimidation. They will pose as a person who incurred big losses in commodities trading, for example, and then insist they want to know if the person they're tracking possesses assets being concealed from the court. From an Internet search they can obtain public data about the company, giving them enough ammunition to demand 150,000 or 200,000 yen.

Japan's law regulating the activities of investigation firms prohibits resorting to illegal means when obtaining data. But no license is required to engage in investigative work; anyone can become a "detective" merely by filing a form with a prefectural police department. And their numbers are increasing: in 2012, some 5,500 individuals and businesses submitted such notifications to authorities.

A director at the Nihon Chosagyo Kyokai, an umbrella group made up of 21 associations of private investigation firms, claims that the quality of professional investigative services has improved; but he estimates "around 5%" of such operations cut ethical corners and engage in illegal activities.

"The first thing we have to do is require licensing and qualification tests," he says. "And this should be accompanied by penalties to shut down offenders."

© Japan Today