NHK reported that representatives of law enforcement authorities handling organized crime from 14 nations and regions in Asia, including Japan, China, Vietnam, and Macao, gathered for a two-day international conference that began in Tokyo today to discuss how to deal with cross-border organized crime. The network quoted National Policy Agency (NPA) chief Sakaguchi as saying: “Highly organized crime rings are obtaining huge amounts of money through specialized fraud, drug smuggling, and money laundering. Organized crime in cyberspace is also on the rise. Close cooperation among nations under an international framework is necessary to deal with cross-border crime.” In addition, the network said an NPA official also reported that Japanese organized crime groups are smuggling stimulants from Taiwan and other places to earn money and Japanese specialized fraud groups are setting up bases in China and other foreign nations.