Asahi: Graffiti gang says Japan easy target
Four self-professed graffiti exponents from Australia, denied entry in June, said they targeted Japan because lax security here makes it easier to operate than in other nations, sources said. The men are believed to be members of the Australia-based Master of Crime (MOC) group, whose spray-painted pictures have appeared on trains and buildings in other countries. Members of the group are believed responsible for a series of graffiti raids on Tokyo subways in January 2007. Some of the illegal artwork was accompanied by MOC signatures. According to police and immigration officials, the Australians were denied entry for fear they might "harm Japan's interest and public safety" when they arrived at Narita Airport on June 14. The men--whose baggage contained spray paint nozzles and other graffiti tools--admitted their objectives, the officials said... The organized crime section of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department had been tipped off by Australian authorities that MOC members might enter Japan to paint illegally. Australian investigators searching an MOC office found photos of Tokyo Metro trains hit by graffiti artists in January 2007. The graffiti raids in and around Tokyo were carried out over five separate occasions from Jan. 1-14 that year...Sources also said there was little likelihood the group was connected to similar graffiti that led to the cancellation of a Shinkansen service of East Japan Railway Co. on July 1 this year...more...
