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NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY/NAGOYA, Japan -- A Chinese organization allegedly used a base in Japan to smuggle chemicals to make the synthetic drug fentanyl into the U.S., a Nikkei investigation has found.
A key figure in the group registered a company in the city of Nagoya and until at least July 2024 issued instructions from Japan on the delivery of the dangerous opioid and on the management of funds.
The finding means that Japan may be on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis, which helped ignite the current confrontation between the U.S. and China.
Fentanyl abuse has become a serious issue in the U.S., causing tens of thousands of deaths annually. In February and March, the Trump administration announced tariffs of 20% on goods from China and 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada, with some exceptions, blaming the crisis on the three countries.
Japan had not previously been officially linked to fentanyl trafficking. If Japan is part of a trafficking route, then the country could get caught up in the global frictions surrounding this issue, including the trade war.
The Chinese organization set up a company in Nagoya named Firsky KK. Nikkei confirmed this by analyzing public documents, social media, map data, images and company websites.
Firsky had personnel and capital ties to Hubei Amarvel Biotech, a Wuhan-based chemical manufacturer targeted by the American authorities. Amarvel executives were convicted in a federal court in New York this January of charges that included conspiracy to import fentanyl precursors into the U.S.
An investigation of 100-plus U.S. court documents, including unpublished ones, led Nikkei to uncover the existence of a "Japan boss" who had invested in Amarvel. Although he was only briefly mentioned, a further investigation via social media and other means revealed the individual's real name and background.
The man, thought to be a Chinese national, said on social media that he lived in the city of Naha in Okinawa. Business records showed him as a shareholder in 18 companies in China, Japan and the U.S. These included Firsky, where he was registered as representative director.
Looking at the record of Firsky's activities listed online, there are many intersections with Amarvel. At Chinese subsidiary Firsky International Trade (Wuhan), which said it was "a 100% Japanese-owned company," the auditor resigned in July 2024. That auditor had the same name as one of the Amarvel executives found guilty in the U.S.
This Chinese subsidiary of Firsky promoted itself as "a 100% Japanese-owned company" on its website. (Photo by Tetsuya Abe) On a specialty website, Firsky was selling Amarvel drugs via cryptocurrency transactions. Firsky's sales representative had the same social media username as Amarvel's, and the two companies displayed the same factory pictures on their websites.
The contents of Nikkei's investigation were independently confirmed by European investigative organization Bellingcat, which confirmed that Firsky and Amarvel were effectively the same organization.
The Chinese man who established Firsky held major stakes in and senior executive positions at multiple companies. He likely acted as the leader of the organization and is thought to have issued instructions to China and the U.S. from Japan.
The Japan-registered Firsky was suddenly liquidated in July 2024, while the Amarvel trial was moving forward in New York.
The Amarvel executives convicted in the U.S. set up fentanyl-smuggling networks in multiple countries, including Mexico. That raises the possibility that Japan became a conduit for these transactions.
Firsky sold Amarvel products on a specialized website. (Photo by Toru Tsunashima. Image partially processed) The American authorities are pursuing the leader, but they do not know his whereabouts, according to a U.S. official.
"It is not known or so common for many drug traffickers to go to Japan," says Margarito Flores, a former member of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel who now works with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This makes it easier for "Mexicans or different drug traffickers from Mexico, even from the United States, to travel to look for the precursors," he says.
Japan has few drug-related crimes compared with China and India, known as production centers for fentanyl precursors. Some note that Japan is less likely to be scrutinized by the authorities in other countries, making customs inspections easy to clear.
Firsky operated out of a building owned by an executive of a prominent overseas Chinese association. "We were introduced by an acquaintance of an employee," that executive tells Nikkei.
"I was told that it was a battery business," the executive says. "I had no idea it was involved in fentanyl trafficking."
Japan is promoting foreign entrepreneurship by loosening restrictions on business visas. But Japanese companies can also serve as fronts for other activities.
"In Japan we would have arrested him," says Ray Donovan, a former DEA senior official. "We have DEA agents there in the U.S. Embassy," he notes.
Firsky successfully escaped suspicion by operating through multiple companies in China, Japan and the U.S.
Some note multiple transaction networks for fentanyl smuggling that involve Japan. Mexican expert Ricardo Ravelo says that Mexican cartels, including Sinaloa, are expanding their chemical distribution networks through the port at Yokohama.
Japan's police authorities maintain that "there have been no cases related to fentanyl in the country." But it increasingly appears that fentanyl smugglers are active in Japan as well.
Offices of overseas Chinese organizations and companies are clustered in central Nagoya, contributing to the local economy. (Photo by Toru Tsunashima) 
