A 31-year-old Chinese national has been arrested in Tokyo's Ginza district on suspicion of emitting powerful radio waves from equipment loaded in a car to disrupt mobile phone communications, in violation of the Radio Act.
Yu Hairong, whose name is read in Japanese as Yo Kanyo, is suspected of transmitting the interfering signal from the Ginza 4-chome intersection in Chuo Ward the day before the arrest, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The strong signal is believed to have temporarily cut mobile phone service within a radius of at least 500 meters. A short message was then sent to the affected phones, investigators believe.
The message was written in Chinese and said the recipient's card may have been used fraudulently, according to the account. It directed recipients to a phishing site.
Yu has denied the allegation, telling investigators he has not loaded radio equipment in the vehicle and knows nothing about it.