Indonesian police arrest Japanese man wanted for fraud

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities on the southern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra island have arrested a Japanese fugitive accused of fraud in Japan. The man apparently received a massive amount of COVID-19 subsidies for small businesses in distress. Indonesian National Police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo says Mitsuhiro Taniguchi, 47, was arrested just before midnight on Monday in Kalirejo village of Central Lampung district, by immigration officers and backed by local police. Taniguchi was wanted by Japanese police over pandemic subsidy fraud and left Japan for Indonesia in October 2020. The total amount of the subsidies received is estimated at $7.3 million. Taniguchi has been handed over to the Directorate of Immigration and authorities are coordinating with Japanese diplomats for a deportation process.