On March 6th the Tokyo Police Department issued arrest warrants for Daisuke Shioda, the former president of ABC Home, and four associates for interfering with the public auction of a foreclosed property owned by ABC Home. However, Shioda has so far evaded capture and his whereabouts are unknown.

Shioda is accused of falsifying the ownership details on the real estate register of the property in order to prevent the property from selling at auction. He also lied and said that his mother and sister had 18 ~ 20 year leases on some of the floors in the building.

— Illegal Casino —

The property in question is the “Nishiazabu Geihinkan” – a members-only club and illegal casino in Nishiazabu 2 Chome. It is near the Nezu Museum and 1 km from Omotesando Station. The five story building looks like a normal apartment building from the outside, but inside there is a jacuzzi, rooftop pool and even a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

The club has been up for public auction several times since 2008, but has never attracted a bid. The last auction attempt was in December 2011, when it was offered with a minimum bid of 268 million Yen. The annual fixed asset and city taxes in 2008 were 2,258,544 Yen.

Despite being put under foreclosure from 2008, the club was still operating up until at least July 2011.

In September 2011, Shioda got into an altercation with gangsters outside the Nishiazabu club and suffered some injuries. The police searched Shioda’s house and confiscated a list of client names from the Korean and Nishiazabu casinos.

In 2005, Shioda married a former talent and manager of the a hostess club in Ginza. A former politician had played matchmaker and introduced the couple. The wedding had a star-studded guest list which included actresses, musicians and other celebrities.

Shortly after, Shioda was arrested for tax evasion and resigned as president of ABC Home. He then began managing the Nishiazabu club. The building was originally an apartment block and was purchased by Shioda in 1998. In 2006, Shioda used the property as collateral to borrow 450 million Yen from the Shoko Chukin Bank, but fell behind in loan repayments in early 2008.

The police hope to conduct a full investigation once they bring Shioda into custody. The new Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinance means that many businesses and individuals that have connections to Shioda may be exposed.

Sources:
Cyzo Inc, Vol 145, March 2012.
Zakzak, March 14, 2012.
NHK, March 6, 2012.
The Mainichi Shimbun, March 6, 2012.

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