Japanese authorities have arrested a senior figure allegedly linked to Cambodia’s Prince Group, a conglomerate that U.S. officials have tied to a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering network.
Summary
- Japanese police arrested alleged Prince Group executive Hu Xiaowei over a suspected false residency registration filed in Tokyo.
- Investigators are examining Hu’s activities in Japan and his reported links to the Cambodia based conglomerate targeted by U.S. sanctions.
- Hu’s arrest follows international enforcement actions against Prince Group figures, including founder Chen Zhi and former Huione chairman Li Xiong.
The Asahi Shimbun reported that Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department arrested Hu Xiaowei, 44, a Cypriot national also known as Hu Shi, on suspicion of submitting false residency information to Japanese authorities. Investigators believe Hu is one of the top executives within Prince Group.
Police allege Hu filed a fraudulent resident registration notice in April that stated he had moved to Tokyo’s Chuo Ward. Investigators arrested him on June 14. Police sources told Asahi that Hu said he transferred his residency registration to Tokyo to obtain permanent residency in Japan, while also claiming he had left the process to representatives and did not fully understand the details.
Japanese authorities suspect Hu is the same individual identified as “Chen Xiaoer,” a name included in U.S. sanctions imposed on Prince Group and its affiliates.
The U.S. Treasury and Department of Justice announced sanctions against 146 related individuals and entities in October 2025, alleging the Cambodia-based organization operated international online investment fraud schemes, including pig-butchering scams.
Police trace Hu’s activities in Japan
Investigators had not publicly identified Hu’s whereabouts before the arrest. Sources familiar with the investigation told Asahi that Japanese authorities determined 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. Officers arrested him in the city after locating him through the investigation.
Authorities are also examining Hu’s business activities in Japan. Corporate records reviewed by Asahi show that a company led by Hu was established in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward in April 2023 for trading-related operations. The company’s capital reportedly increased from ¥8 million to ¥50 million by March 2026.
The company later relocated its registered address to Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. Corporate filings also show Hu changed his registered address multiple times, including locations in London, Tokyo’s Minato Ward, Osaka Prefecture, and Chuo Ward in Tokyo, the location referenced in the arrest allegations.
The Metropolitan Police Department has also arrested two Chinese nationals accused of filing the residency change paperwork on Hu’s behalf. Investigators seized smartphones and other electronic devices from the suspects and continue to analyze the materials.
Japanese investigators have not publicly detailed whether their inquiry extends beyond the residency registration allegations. The Metropolitan Police Department continues to examine Hu’s activities and possible links to Prince Group operations inside Japan.
Prince Group faces international scrutiny
Hu’s arrest follows a series of enforcement actions targeting individuals linked to Prince Group and its affiliated operations.
In January 2026, Cambodian authorities arrested Prince Group founder Chen Zhi and deported him to China after revoking his Cambodian citizenship. Cambodian officials said the transfer took place under bilateral cooperation agreements focused on transnational crime.
U.S. prosecutors alleged in court filings that Prince Group functioned as the center of a criminal network involved in cryptocurrency investment fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, and scam compounds across Southeast Asia. Prince Group has denied the allegations.
The U.S. Department of Justice sought the forfeiture of more than 127,000 Bitcoin allegedly connected to wallets controlled by Chen and his associates. Court filings valued the holdings at roughly $15 billion at the time, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency seizure actions ever pursued by U.S. authorities.
Authorities have also targeted figures connected to Huione Group, a network that investigators and blockchain analysts have linked to laundering proceeds from online fraud operations. In April 2026, Chinese authorities extradited former Huione Group chairman Li Xiong from Cambodia. Chinese officials identified Li as a core member of the Chen Zhi syndicate.
