On February 3, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Mr. Shinji Tanimoto (37 years old) - Chairman of Albatross Company - and his wife, Ms. Shiori (31 years old) - also an employee of the company - on charges of brokering clients for illegal lawyers to receive remuneration. Both denied the charges, telling investigators that they "do not think this act constitutes a violation of the Law on Lawyers".
According to Japanese Lawyers Law, introducing clients to lawyers for remuneration is only allowed for lawyers or licensed organizations; similar brokerage activities carried out by businesses that are not qualified to perform are considered illegal.
Albatross operates a "commissioned resignation" service called Momuri, which specializes in supporting people who want to quit their jobs by informing employers of their resignation intention on their behalf and handling necessary administrative procedures. This service attracts many workers who are exhausted by work pressure, want to quit their jobs but have difficulty applying for resignation themselves.
According to the police, from July to October 2024, the couple was accused of introducing 6 clients, including civil servants and business employees, to lawyers even though they were not legally qualified, for the purpose of profiteering.
The investigating agency said that the cases introduced are mainly people who cannot participate in collective bargaining such as civil servants, or are involved in disputes with employers, including cases related to unpaid wages.
Albatross is accused of receiving introduction fees of 16,500 yen (about 106 USD) per client from law firms, with the money disguised as online advertising outsourcing fees or "support funds" for the company's trade union.
Police suspect that there is no real advertising or trade union activity, arguing that these agreements are aimed at concealing payments. Authorities are also investigating lawyers at two law firms that have received clients introduced by Albatross on suspicion of violating the same law.
Police conducted searches of the company's headquarters and several law offices in October last year, then analyzed seized documents and took statements from related people.
According to company documents, Albatross was established in February 2022 and launched Momuri service a month later, in the form of employees representing customers to inform employers of their intention to quit. The company collected 22,000 yen (VND 3.7 million) for each case of supporting a full-time employee who quit and promoting 24/7, 365 days a year service.
After the chairman and his wife were arrested, Albatross said in a statement that the company "is verifying the details of the case and cannot give a clear response at this time".
