Inquiry system launched to shut out gangsters from bank services

January 4, 2018

Tokyo- Japan put into service on Thursday a system allowing banks to make online inquiries to a police database about whether applicants for loans and other transactions are crime group members.

The securities industry runs a similar system connected with the National Police Agency database on crime group members from January 2013. The bank industry version was launched at the request of the Japanese Bankers Association.

Deposit Insurance Corp. of Japan and the agency have connected servers to allow banks to make online inquiries to the agency's database from their special terminals by entering the names, birth dates and other information of applicants, agency officials said.

The agency's side answers whether the names of the applicants in question are found in the database.

If applicants' names are found, banks will double-check by making inquiries to relevant prefectural police departments. The banks will reject the applicants if they are confirmed to be the persons on the list.

So far, the bank industry has collected information on crime group members independently and made inquiries to police each time any suspicion arises. The new system allows the industry to carry out the checks efficiently.

"Loans to individuals may become a source of funds to crime syndicates," an agency official said. "We'll provide stronger assistance to efforts to shut out crime group members."

As of the end of 2016, Japan had 18,100 crime group members. strong>Jiji Press