Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."

In this program, we'll learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.

Our headline for today is: Police Warns Public About "Dark" Part-Time Jobs.

There's been a spate of robberies
across Japan recently.

It's put "yami-baito" in the spotlight.

Yes. It came to light that the culprits signed up for so-called "yami-baito"

through social media and other online channels.

It's become an issue of public concern.

All right, before we listen to the story in Japanese, let's go over some key terms.

"sagi."

fraud.

"hanzai."

crime.

"oobo-suru."

to apply.

OK, see if you can follow along.

"Yami-baito," which involve recruiting people
to commit crimes such as fraud and robbery

under the guise of part-time work,
have become a problem.

The National Police Agency has published
on its website

accounts from young people who've committed crimes
after applying to "yami-baito."

They found many cases in which people posted
"I'm in need of money" on social media

and received a message from a crime group,
such as "We have this job that pays really well."

After you apply, you're told that you need to provide
information about you and your family.

Even if you try to back out partway through,
you'll be told something like

"We will kill your whole family,"
and you won't be able to quit.

The National Police Agency says,

"Yami-baito is not part-time work.
It is a crime."

- Preying on people who are already in trouble is absolutely the lowest of the low.
- Yeah, it's horrible.

And these schemes have been growing in scope and in scale,

and even international residents are getting roped in.

So what exactly does the term "yami-baito" mean, though?

The "baito" in "yami-baito" means "part-time job."

"Yami" refers to "the dark,"
where there's no light.

People can do shady things
obscured from view.

So "yami-baito" job postings on social media
promise people easy money,

but actually, applicants are coerced
into being complicit in crimes.

OK, let's review the following expression from the story.

Even if you try to back out partway through,
you won't be able to quit.

Now read along with me.

"tochuu de yameyoo to shite mo

yameru koto ga dekinaku narimasu."

Today we'll look at:

"shiyoo to shite mo, dekimasen."
（even if you wanted to... you won't be able to)

For example, "Yameyoo to shite mo,
yameru koto ga dekinaku narimasu."

Even if you wanted to,
you won't be able to.

I'd like to teach you a more common
version of this expression:

"shiyoo ni mo dekimasen. "
(even if you wanted to... you won't be able to)

Chiara, could you get me some candy
from that jar?

OK.

...Nope, that's too difficult. I can't open it.

Thanks for trying.

So you want to get a piece of candy,
but you can't open the jar.

You can use the expression
I just taught you.

I see, so that would be...

"Ame o toroo ni mo futa o akeraremasen."
(Even though I want to get some candy, I can't get the lid open.)

Exactly.

And when you want to express that
you hope the person understands,

add "-ndesu" to the end.

So "akerarenai" becomes "akerarenai-ndesu."

And past tense would be
"akerarenakatta-ndesu."

OK, now let's pretend I'm pressing you
for an explanation

about something you did
or weren't able to do.

Yamaguchi-san, why were you late?

"Dooro ga juutai shite ite hayaku ikoo ni mo ikenakatta-ndesu."
(I wanted to get here sooner, but there was a traffic jam, so I couldn't.)

OK, Chiara, why didn't you call me yesterday?

Sensee... I'm sorry.

"Denwa-shiyoo ni mo bangoo ga wakaranakatta-ndesu."
(I wanted to call, but I didn't have your number.)

Great job. Both of you had great excuses!

- You don't always want to be making excuses, but this is a great expression to know just in case.
- Exactly.

OK, Tokunaga-sensee, thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Inside Japan.

The National Police Agency has been investigating "yami-baito,"

and they recently published a collection of case studies.

They found that in general criminal groups use four main tactics when they recruit people.

First, they lure you in with the promise of a high-paying job.

For example, there were people who searched phrases like "koogaku-hooshuu" (high reward) on social media

and ended up applying to a job listing without knowing it was "yami-baito."

Phrases to watch out for include
"koogaku-baito" (high-paying part-time job),

"sokujitsu-nyuukin" (same-day payment)
and "shorui o uketoru dake" (simply picking up paperwork).

If you see a job listing that says you can earn a lot of money quickly and easily, be careful.

So the next thing they do is ask you to install a specific messaging app

so you can communicate with more privacy.

Typically, it'll be an app where messages can be set to disappear after a certain period.

- Ah, so afterward, there's no record of your communications.
- That's right.

Then, they tell you that if you want to work you need to send in your personal information

as well as information about your family, like their names and contact details.

And finally, if you try to back out of the job, they threaten you.

I see... so now that they have this information about yourself and your family,

they can then use that to coerce you into going through with the job.

So definitely watch out for these types of tactics.

OK, now let's take a look at how "yami-baito" are targeting international residents.

This NPO provides support to Vietnamese residents in Japan.

They say they've had technical trainees and others come to them for advice regarding "yami-baito."

According to Representative Director Yoshimizu Jiho,

many end up becoming involved in crimes without even realizing it.

One Vietnamese man was recruited by an acquaintance to work part-time as a money collector.

What he didn't know was that acquaintance was a member of a crime ring forging residence cards.

The job was actually to collect payment from customers on behalf of the group.

He became complicit in their illegal activities without knowing it.

Crime groups have also been attempting to recruit "yami-baito" workers

through Vietnamese expat communities on social networks.

Yoshimizu says that they lure applicants by posting in Vietnamese,

which can cause people to lower their guard.

Vietnamese technical trainees and students
often come to Japan deep in debt.

They're young and desperate to pay it off.
And so they can end up entangled in crimes.

Now I see, it can be really daunting to find work in a foreign country

and dealing with language barriers can be really difficult.

So I see why it's tempting for a lot of people to trust sources in their native language.

Yes. But remember, if something seems even slightly suspicious, trust your instincts and walk away.

If you've applied to a "yami-baito" or are being coerced into working with a crime group,

you can consult the police by calling #9110, or by visiting your local police station.

OK, and that's all for today.

We'll see you next time.

See you soon.