The Japanese Detectives Who Get Paid A Fortune To Break Up Couples—Illegally

People will go to great lengths to be with the one they love, and in Japan, some even go as far as to employ the help of illegal services. For a hefty fee, detectives in wakaresaseya—”break-up agencies”—will find ways to sabotage the relationship of the chosen target.

Nomura (not his real name) recounted his experience in a local interview. He shared that he had fallen in love with a woman from work who happened to be happily married. Desperately wanting her for himself, he ignored his friend’s advice and employed the help of a detective agency, paying them ¥4M ($27,600) upfront. They promised to refund the money should their attempts fail.

The agency’s plan sold him. They would have one of their employees befriend the woman and learn about her marital problems during their lunch dates. At the same time, one of their male employees would befriend the husband and bring him to nightlife districts where they could take humiliating and incriminating pictures of him.

Shinjuku’s nightlife district | *REUTERS*

However, even after a year and a half had passed, no progress was made. Nomura’s requests for updates were all ignored. When he suspected that he was scammed, he demanded to see proof that they were in touch with the couple. The agency refused to show anything, so he took them to court and sued them, demanding they refund his money.

The agency was contacted for a comment, and a representative explained that they do not share private information like LINE messages with clients. Not long after the interview, however, they shut down their website and stopped answering calls.

When Nomura was asked to think of how the husband would feel if he divorced his wife, he felt no sympathy. Void of emotion, he said, “He’s the one falling for the women the agency dispatched. Serves him right.”