Gifu Prefectural Police arrested a man on suspicion of fraud after he cut off his own finger to receive National Health Insurance benefits and claimed negligence.
Masahiro Nouchi (58), a member of the Yamaguchi-gumi Kodokai gang who lives in Gifu City, is suspected of having his own fingers amputated during a yubitsume ceremony. This ritual, currently only practiced within organized crime syndicates, involves severing the knuckles of the fingers, usually starting with the little finger of the left hand. It is seen as a way to apologize or make amends for a serious mistake.
According to police, this is believed to be the first arrest in Japan for Yubitsume’s fraudulent health insurance claims.
Mr. Nouchi is the Wakagashira, or leader of the henchmen, of the Kodokai. He was arrested along with two other senior members in connection with the scam. Authorities have not said whether the suspects have admitted to the charges.
The arrest, made Thursday, stems from an incident in which Nouchi severed his own finger on February 23 last year, but reported it to medical personnel in Tokyo as an accidental injury. This may have allowed people to fraudulently claim benefits under the National Health Insurance Scheme, which excludes compensation for intentional injuries.
That way, Noguchi could have avoided paying about 40,000 yen in addition to his personal expenses. He is also suspected of having visited a medical institution in Gifu Prefecture on March 9 of the same year and evading the approximately 5,000 yen in treatment fees.
Nouchi was first arrested on September 18 for allegedly using someone else’s electronic toll collection card to fraudulently claim discounts on highway tolls, in violation of the Computer Fraud Act.
Translated by Japan Times
