Cambodia-based Prince Group is on the US sanctions list for its involvement in international fraud and human trafficking and has established at least three affiliated companies in Japan since 2022, according to statements from individuals involved and documents collected by Kyodo News.
These findings confirm that the group, which is considered by the US Treasury Department to be one of the largest criminal organizations in Asia, also conducts activities in Japan.
Japanese companies related to Prince Group list their business activities as real estate trading and similar activities. However, these companies may have been used to launder money from fraudulent criminal activities.
Subitions of this transnational corporation in Korea and Taiwan (China) are involved in the purchase and sale of real estate and bank accounts with large sums of money.
Companies in Japan mentioned include consulting company Prince Japan, established in 2023 in Shibuya, Tokyo; real estate company Canopy Sands Development Japan, established in 2024 in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
In June 2023, when applying to join an association established in Japan, Prince Japan revealed in an email that it was a subsidiary of Prince Group.
A Facebook post in November 2024 by the Embassy of Cambodia in Japan also introduced Canopy Sands Development Japan under Prince Group.
In recent years, online fraud and related cybercrime have caused a loss of up to $16.6 billion in the US. On October 14, the US added Prince Group and founder Chen Zhi - a Cambodian citizen of Chinese origin, to the sanctions list.
The group, headquartered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, has established at least 10 large-scale fraud complexes in the country.
According to the US Treasury Department, foreigners were scammed through posts recruiting for light work, high salaries and forced to participate in online fraud, illegal online gambling as well as other criminal activities.
