The Showa Day Pod: Earthquake Advisories Lifted & ‘Disability Dating App’ Fraudster Suspects Re-Arrested

Tokyo police have re-arrested two men, including the alleged leader of a group accused of exploiting a dating app aimed at people with disabilities, in what investigators describe as a systematic fraud scheme targeting vulnerable users. The suspects are accused of luring victims, such as a man in his 30s, to bars in Shibuya after meeting them on the app, then falsely claiming losses like canceled reservations to demand large “compensation” payments, in one case about ¥4.7 million. Police believe the group deliberately focused on people with disabilities and may have defrauded dozens of victims out of roughly ¥85 million in total; the alleged ringleader denies the charges while another suspect has admitted involvement. Episode notes: ‘Tokyo Met Police Re-arrest Two over 85 Million Yen Fraud, Targeting the Disabled with Dating App’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2026/04/27/tokyo-met-police-re-arrest-two-over-85-million-yen-fraud-targeting-the-disabled-with-dating-app/