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Julian Ryall

Men in military fatigues identical to those worn by Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Forces (SDF) are reportedly prowling evacuated communities in Kumamoto prefecture to loot abandoned homes and businesses in the aftermath of last month’s earthquake.
An official at the prefectural government confirmed media reports of “fake SDF personnel” attempting to enter properties in affected areas, although she said the authority’s immediate priority was still to find shelter and provide food and medical care for those who had lost their homes.
“We have received reports of this but I cannot provide you with more details than that at the moment,” government spokeswoman Akino Sonoda said. “We are not presently sure of the number of reports or the towns affected but yes, the prefecture and the police are aware of these reports.”
Warnings about being alert to strangers – even those that at first glance appear to be members of the military sent to assist in the search and recovery efforts – have also been shared among residents.

Kiyoko Date travelled to her home village, close to hard-hit Yatsuhiro, to help her friends and family immediately after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck shortly before 4.30pm on July 28.
“I heard the reports and it’s really terrible and sad that some people are like that,” she said. “But the police knew about the reports and there are a lot of patrols going around the different towns and villages.”
According to the Ministry of Defence, around 5,100 SDF personnel have been deployed to the region since the disaster struck.
They were initially tasked with rescuing people trapped in buildings and structures that had fallen down, such as the collapsed Aeon Mall in Kashima town, before shifting to transporting priority relief supplies, medical support and providing care facilities.
The SDF has also been conducting house-to-house searches for people still listed as missing.

At least 350 people were injured in earthquake, with 39 people confirmed to have died. More than 390 aftershocks have been recorded, many powerful, and the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned the public to be prepared for more tremors over the coming weeks.
Across Kyushu, 1,287 homes collapsed and a further 30,894 sustained varying degrees of damage. An additional 4,600 retail, industrial and other properties were damaged, with commercial and industrial losses estimated at 117.6 billion yen (US$739 million).
Reports that people dressed in military uniforms were looking to take advantage of the confusion echo similar accusations made in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.6 Noto earthquake on January 1, 2024, in which 732 people died.
“Looters, scam artists and thieves” had descended on the area in the disaster’s wake, the Asahi newspaper reported later that month, “preying on victims of the New Year’s Day earthquake who are struggling for survival”.
Residents set up neighbourhood watch patrols in response, with an additional 40 police officers also dispatched to the region. In the first 10 days after the 2024 quake, 17 theft or burglary cases were reported as criminals looted damaged buildings.

Claims that men disguised in SDF clothing were among the looters prompted then military chief Yoshihide Yoshida to warn locals of the Noto peninsula to be on the lookout for impostors.
The SDF “operates as an organisation so they do not, for example, visit houses in isolated areas on their own”, Yoshida said at the time.
An article published on Tuesday by Japanese legal portal Bengoshi JP urged concerned residents to challenge anyone suspicious wearing military clothing.
The author, lawyer Tomoki Amemiya, advised residents to ask for the name, rank and unit of any suspicious people claiming to be SDF members, while keeping their own details private.
He warned against sharing specifics about property damage, access points or whether a property owner has moved to alternative accommodation, adding: “If you see a suspicious person or feel slightly unsafe, do not hesitate to call the police.”


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Fake troops loot earthquake-hit homes in Japan’s Kumamoto

Houses in Hikawa, Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture,  damaged by the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on July 28. Photo: Kyodo

A member of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces hands a water container to a man at a water distribution station following the July 28 earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: AFP

Self-Defence Forces vehicles drive past a damaged building in Yatsushiro, southern Japan, three days after the earthquake hit the area. Photo: AP

People wait for their containers to be filled by Self-Defence Forces personnel at a water distribution station in Kumamoto prefecture following last month’s earthquake. Photo: AFP

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A rescue worker walks in front of Aeon mall in Kashima, Kumamoto, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Rescue workers conduct a search operation at the damaged Aeon shopping centre on Thursday after a 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Reuters

The collapsed worship hall of Yatsushiro shrine seen on Wednesday after a 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Reuters

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The damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre in Kashima where an explosion took place after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

Firefighters and emergency vehicles gather at the heavily damaged Aeon Mall Kumamoto following an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto, Japan on Tuesday. Photo:  EPA / Jiji Press Japan

A collapsed chimney at Nippon Paper Industries’ Yatsushiro Mill after an earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

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Impostors dressed in military fatigues are reportedly prowling abandoned properties, with residents warned to be on the lookout


Impostors dressed in military fatigues are reportedly prowling abandoned properties, with residents warned to be on the lookout.


Earthquakes

Self-Defence Forces (Japan)

Fake troops loot earthquake-hit homes in Japan’s Kumamoto

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Impostors dressed in military fatigues are reportedly prowling abandoned properties, with residents warned to be on the lookout

Impostors dressed in military fatigues are reportedly prowling abandoned properties, with residents warned to be on the lookout