Japanese Magazine Famitsu Editor Arrested For Alleged Fraud

An editor at Japan's biggest video game publication, Famitsu, has been arrested for alleged fraud. Eiichi Sato is accused of collecting freelance fees for articles written under a false name.

Kotaku reports that Sato's work for Famitsu included editing freelance articles. But he also allegedly filed three articles that he wrote himself between March and June of 2020, and subsequently collected the freelance fees for them. He's said to have purchased a bank ATM card from a man he met online in order to collect the fees, resulting in extra payments of approximately 400,000 yen ($3,650).

Sato has reportedly confessed to the charges, saying he was driven by concern about money. "I didn't have any savings," he said, "and I was worried about the future."

Kadokawa, the parent company of Famitsu, said it will "cooperate completely with the investigation."

Famitsu is one of the longest-running video game publications in Japan, having first launched in 1986. It's known for its reviews including four different reviews, and as serving as the debut outlet for Japanese game reveals.