Japanese authorities have arrested a senior figure suspected of being linked to Cambodia’s Prince Group, an organization that US officials have blamed for funding billions of dollars in fraud and money laundering.
Summary
- Japanese police have arrested suspected Prince Group executive Hu Xiaowei in connection with alleged registrations of fake residences filed in Tokyo.
- Investigators are looking into Hu’s activities in Japan and his reported links to a Cambodia-based organization targeted by US sanctions.
- Hu’s arrest follows international legal action against Prince Group figures, including founder Chen Zhi and former Huione chairman Li Xiong.
The Asahi Shimbun reported that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Hu Xiaowei, 44, a Cypriot national also known as Hu Shi, for allegedly submitting false residency information to Japanese authorities. Investigators believe Hu is one of the top executives within the Prince Group.
Police suspect that Hu filed a fake resident registration notice in April that said he had moved to Tokyo’s Chuo Ward. Investigators arrested him on June 14. Police sources told Asahi that Hu said he transferred his citizenship registration to Tokyo to obtain permanent residence in Japan, while saying he had left the process to representatives and did not fully understand the details.
Japanese authorities suspect that Hu is the same person identified as “Chen Xiaoer,” the name included in US sanctions against the Prince Group and its affiliates.
The US Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice announced sanctions against 146 individuals and related organizations in October 2025, alleging that the Cambodia-based organization is using fraudulent international investment schemes, including pig slaughter scams.
Police are tracking Hu’s activities in Japan
Investigators have not publicly said where Hu was before being arrested. Sources familiar with the investigation told Asahi that Japanese authorities had determined that Hu had been operating inside Japan and began tracking his movements.
Police later searched several luxury hotels in Osaka and identified Hu through security camera footage. The police arrested him in the city after finding him through investigation.
Authorities are also investigating Hu’s business activities in Japan. Company records reviewed by Asahi show that the company headed by Hu was established in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward in April 2023 for trading-related activities. The company’s capital has reportedly increased from ¥8 million to ¥50 million by March 2026.
Later the company moved its registered address to Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo. Company records also show that Hu has changed his registered address several times, including to London, Minato Ward, Osaka Prefecture, and Chuo Ward in Tokyo, the area at issue in the alleged arrest.
The Metropolitan Police Department also arrested two Chinese nationals who are suspected of filing change of residence documents in Hu’s name. Investigators seized smartphones and other electronic devices from the suspects and are continuing to analyze the devices.
Japanese investigators have not publicly said whether their investigation extends beyond the alleged residential registration. The Metropolitan Police Department continues to investigate Hu’s activities and possible links to the Prince Group’s operations within Japan.
The Prince Group is facing international scrutiny
Hu’s arrest follows a series of enforcement actions against individuals linked to the Prince Group and its subsidiaries.
In January 2026, Cambodian authorities arrested Prince Group founder Chen Zhi and extradited him to China after revoking his Cambodian citizenship. Cambodian officials said the transfer took place under cooperation agreements focused on international crime.
US prosecutors allege in court papers that the Prince Group operated as the center of a criminal network involved in fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, money laundering, human trafficking, and scam combinations throughout Southeast Asia. The Prince Group denied the allegations.
The US Department of Justice sought the seizure of more than 127,000 Bitcoins allegedly linked to wallets controlled by Chen and his associates. The documents filed in court were worth an estimated $15 billion at the time, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures ever pursued by US authorities.
Authorities have also targeted figures linked to the Huione Group, a network of blockchain investigators and analysts who have linked fraudulent profits from online fraud activities. In April 2026, Chinese authorities extradited Huione Group’s former chairman Li Xiong from Cambodia. Chinese officials have identified Li as a key member of the Chen Zhi syndicate.
