TOKYO — Takazumi Fukuhara, 44, the former head of the now-defunct luxury watch-sharing service Neo Reverse, was arrested on Dec. 26 on suspicion of fraud after evading authorities abroad for nearly two years.
Fukuhara, who also went by Takazumi Kominato, had recently returned to Japan from the United Arab Emirates. Tokyo police said he fled to Dubai in January 2024, the same month Toke Match—the company’s watch-sharing service—ceased operations.
Toke Match allowed users to deposit luxury watches, including Rolexes, in exchange for monthly fees while renting them to other users. However, cases of watches not being returned began to rise. By May 2024, authorities across 45 prefectures had received complaints from about 650 people, covering roughly 1,700 watches with a total market value of 2.8 billion yen ($18 million). Approximately 1,300 of these watches were found sold through pawnshops and secondhand retailers nationwide.
Investigators say Fukuhara used proceeds from the sales to buy cryptocurrency and transfer funds to accounts linked to online casinos. In March 2024, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for professional embezzlement, later amending the charge to fraud in September. The National Police Agency also sought international assistance through Interpol.
On Dec. 26, authorities also arrested Taishi Nakayama, 44, a former Neo Reverse employee from Osaka, for allegedly conspiring with Fukuhara. The two face allegations of defrauding a Tokyo man in his 30s of 15 luxury watches valued at about 18 million yen. Investigators say they posted false claims on the Toke Match website between August and December 2023, promising monthly deposits regardless of whether watches were rented out.
