Three arrested in Japan over alleged tortoise smuggling from Thailand

Three people, including a 17-year-old high school student, have been arrested in Japan on suspicion of attempting to smuggle rare tortoises and other animals from Thailand through Kansai International Airport.

Osaka prefectural police announced the arrests on Wednesday, 28 October. Investigators allege that the student bought the animals in Thailand at the request of an older man, while a third suspect paid his travel expenses.

The case concerns three Indian star tortoises, whose international trade is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). Customs officials discovered the animals during an inspection of the student’s baggage after he returned to Japan.

Animals found in a suitcase

The suspects allegedly conspired to bring the tortoises and 13 crayfish into Japan on 8 May, according to details of the arrest warrants reported by Jiji Press. The Bangkok Post’s account also lists three snakehead fish among the animals involved and describes the crayfish as designated invasive species.

Police said the animals were carried by plane in a suitcase. The tortoises were wrapped in damp cardboard when customs officials found them at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.

The student, an Osaka Prefecture resident, has not been named because he is a minor. Police said he had been selling fish through social media and had met one of the adult suspects online.

The arrests concern suspected violations of Japan’s Customs Act. The alleged attempt took place in May, several months before the arrests announced on Wednesday.

Police investigate alleged resale plan

The two adult suspects were identified as Takayuki Fukushima, 57, from Osaka Prefecture, and Sotaro Yamazaki, 26, a Tokyo resident. Jiji Press described Fukushima as a construction worker living in Tondabayashi.

According to police, Fukushima instructed the student to obtain the tortoises in Thailand, while Yamazaki supplied the money for the journey. Investigators believe Fukushima intended to resell the tortoises at high prices.

Police also arrested Fukushima on a separate suspicion of selling a rare spotted pond turtle in violation of Japan’s Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Cites, also known as the Washington Convention, regulates international trade in protected wild animals and plants to help prevent species extinction. In this case, the police allegations concern both the cross-border movement of protected tortoises and a separate suspected domestic sale of another rare turtle.