Japan suspect in COVID relief fraud deported by Indonesia

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, ANDI JATMIKO and EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese man accused of defrauding the government of $7.3 million intended for small Japanese businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic has been arrested on board a flight after being deported from Indonesia. Police confirmed the arrest of Mitsuhiro Taniguchi. He was taken to a police station after landing at Tokyo’s Narita airport on Wednesday. Japanese media reported Taniguchi and a group of acquaintances allegedly submitted about 1,700 false applications for COVID-19 relief funds to the Japanese government and illegally received subsidies on more than 960 of those applications, taking with them about 1 billion yen. Police also arrested Taniguchi’s ex-wife and their two sons in May on fraud allegations.