Frequent Flyer Account Gets Alleged Yakuza Member Arrested

If you travel by plane a lot, it seems like a good idea to have a frequent flyer account and let the miles add up. That is, unless you are a member of the mafia crime organization known as the Yakuza in Japan. In that case, you can get arrested. 

In May of this year, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested Yuta Hirayama, a 42 year old man from Onojo, Fukuoka Prefecture. His arrest document states he has no officially designated job. Police claim he is a registered member of an organized crime syndicate that is a subordinate group to the Kudo-kai, which is a Japanese mafia group based in Fukuoka. 

Here are the facts, according to the police. Between June and November of 2023, Hirayama took nine flights with a major Japanese airline (including flights between Fukuoka and Tokyo Haneda for the purpose of visiting someone in prison in east Japan). He accrued 4,224 frequent flyer miles to an account registered to his name. The problem is that the terms of service for the frequent flyer program includes a clause that says by using the program, the users profess they are not members of a criminal organization. Police claim that Hirayama, as a member of a criminal group, committed fraud by using his account to accrue miles. 

I’ve posted before about Yakuza members and mobile phone contracts and Yakuza using supermarket point cards. Any program that offers some kind of customer credit is illegal for members of crime organizations.  The “exclusion of anti-social organizations clause” is also known as the “yakuza members not allowed” rule. It is unknown if prosecutors will seek jail time, but at the very least Hirayama will forfeit his frequent flyer miles.