27-year-old Chinese national Wang Likun was arrested on the 18th for allegedly impersonating someone else to sit the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exam held in Tokyo. Not only did he take the test under someone else's name, but he also hid a small microphone, about 3 to 4 centimeters, inside his mask. He was apprehended on the spot by the police. After his arrest, 30% of the candidates at the same test center were absent.
According to Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which oversees Tokyo's law enforcement, reported that on the 18th, Wang Likun took the TOEIC test held in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, using an admission ticket with another person’s name. He was arrested on charges of building intrusion and document forgery.
The organization hosting TOEIC had previously alerted the police, mentioning that "the same person keeps taking the test under different names", "there is someone speaking Chinese quietly during the exam", and "the number of Chinese test-takers scoring above 900 (out of a full score of 990) has unusually increased." The police were on high alert and prepared to catch him at the exam venue on the 18th.
In response to police inquiries, Wang Likun stated, "I found a part-time job opportunity online, and someone instructed me to take the test, promising to pay me." The police suspect Wang Likun of taking the exam multiple times under other people's names and are investigating whether this is part of an organized exam cheating scheme.
According to a report by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, the police stated that Wang Likun had previously sat for the exam in June last year and March this year under names resembling those of two Chinese individuals. He affixed his photograph to the admission tickets. When he was arrested on the 18th, a small microphone was concealed inside his mask.
On the day of the incident, 50 candidates were expected to take the test at the same venue, of which about 15 were absent. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department surmises that these absentees might have been cheating candidates originally intending to receive answers from Wang Likun, but decided not to attend after realizing something was amiss.