Yeah, it happens in Japan. Even more dangerous are new religious groups - like the Unification Church you'd probably heard about due to Abe's asassination.

I described it that way because I live in Japan and recognized the similarities :). Outright violent crime is very rare here, but there are a lot of scams.

The former prime minister was just gunned down in the street over his endorsement of one.

Every insular culture is vulnerable to trust-exploiting schemes.