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Killing in Japan Stirs Fear of New Crime Rings That Recruit the Vulnerable

Four teenage boys were arrested in the killing of a woman at her home. The police say they might have been directed by a new type of transient criminal network known as tokuryu.

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By Javier C. Hernández and Kiuko Notoya

Reporting from Kaminokawa, Japan

May 20, 2026

The Japanese town of Kaminokawa is serene and unassuming, known for vast fields of barley and rice, and endless blue skies. Nestled amid shrines and ancient burial grounds, it is a world away from the bustle of Tokyo, just 70 miles to the south.

One morning last week, though, the stillness of Kaminokawa was disrupted when, officials say, four 16-year-old boys broke into a house and killed a 69-year-old woman who ran a family farm growing burdock root and strawberries. The police are investigating the possibility that the boys were hired to rob the compound by a roving criminal group.

The woman, Eiko Tomiyama, was left with more than 20 stab wounds to her chest. Her two sons were also injured in the attack at their home, known locally as the “Burdock Mansion.” The police have arrested a couple in their 20s, who live about 90 miles from Kaminokawa, describing them as having helped oversee the operation.

The killing has prompted debate across Japan about the morals of young people and the influence of the internet.

The case has also reignited fears about elusive criminal rings known as tokuryu, which prey on students and the unemployed, persuading them to take part in robberies, fraud schemes, assaults and even murder. The groups have spread in recent years, luring recruits on social media with promises of lucrative part-time work.

Toki Inaba, an 82-year-old farmer who has lived in Kaminokawa for more than six decades, recalled Ms. Tomiyama as a kind, hard-working neighbor.

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