News and Press
Goro Koyama in the Media
Filmmakers, journalists and professional bodies have asked Japan PI about many sides of this work: how people disappear in Japan, what a private investigator can lawfully do here, romance and investment fraud, what detective fiction gets right and wrong, and how cross-border cases are handled.
Below, in reverse chronological order, is a record of films, programs, articles and professional features in which Goro Koyama, CEO and Lead Investigator of Japan PI, has taken part.
Films, Programs and Articles
- MEET CIIOct 2026
MEET CII: Goro Koyama — Japan
The Council of International Investigators (CII) opened its MEET CII series, which introduces the people behind its worldwide membership, with a profile from Japan. It covers why Japan is a hard place for overseas investigators, from restricted court records to locates that depend on local knowledge, and how we give clients realistic assessments of what can be done within Japanese law. A CII member since 2017.
Mar–May 2026Vapour (Vapeur) — feature documentary
Directed by Anush Hamzehian and Vittorio Mortarotti (La Bête, 2025, 73 min). The film follows Goro Koyama as he travels to a remote volcanic island to trace a man who has disappeared, talking with islanders and working out how someone might rebuild a life after vanishing. It was reviewed in Italy in March 2026 and screened at DOK.fest München in May 2026, where it was selected for the festival's "Best DOKs" program.
Oct 2025Evaporation
A short documentary by Gustav Olsson on Japan's "evaporated people."
Aug 2025Prospect: Inside Japan's private detective agencies
On how Japan's detective industry works, and the practices that damage its reputation.
Dec 2022The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods
A podcast series from Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment.
- Daily
ShinjukuJul 2022Daily Shinjuku: A Shinjuku detective agency talks
An interview on the kinds of requests that came in during the pandemic, investigations around Kabukicho, and how a detective agency differs from a credit-research firm.
Dec 2021Only the Animals (悪なき殺人): a commentary on romance scams
A commentary for the Japanese release program of the French film.
Nov 2021BANGER!!!: What a working detective learns from Poirot
On interviewing technique and professional pride, through the lens of Agatha Christie's Poirot.
Oct 2021BANGER!!!: How a real detective would approach Knives Out
How a working investigator would handle the suspicious death in the film.
Oct 2021BANGER!!!: A real-life PI reviews James Bond's gadgets
The first of a series of film columns for BANGER!!!.
- The Japan Times
AlphaOct 2020The Japan Times Alpha: On-the-job learning works for an undaunted PI
A bilingual interview on using English in day-to-day investigative work, from reports to overseas clients.
Sep 2020The Japan Times: Goro Koyama, PI
"A private investigator who serves the international community." A 20-question interview on how the work really compares with film noir.
Dec 2017Toyo Keizai Online: The unglamorous reality of Japan's private detectives
On what the job actually looks like, far from the detective of fiction.
Dec 2017Beacon Reports: Are Japan's private investigators public enemy number one?
Richard Solomon on the image problem of Japan's investigation industry.
Apr 2017PRI: Japan's "evaporated people"
On why Japan's privacy laws make tracing a voluntary missing person so difficult.
Dec 2016Fallen Idol: A Kyoko Nakamura Mystery
Background on real investigative practice for Percival Constantine's detective novel.
Topics We Can Speak To
Missing persons & jōhatsu
Why adults can vanish in Japan, and why police rarely search for voluntary disappearances.
Japan's investigation industry
How the notification system works, what the law allows, and the practices clients should watch out for.
Fraud & due diligence
Romance and investment scams, background checks, and how counterparties are vetted in Japan.
Cross-border cases
Locates, records work and investigations between Japan and other countries.
Projects we support
- Journalism and documentary work that looks closely at the facts of Japan's investigation industry and the people it touches
- Interviews in English or Japanese, on camera or remote; background briefings on Japanese law and practice; anonymized case examples
- No appearance fee when the project helps the public understand the industry or raise its standards; the same applies to print interviews
- If a production asks us to carry out an actual investigation on camera, that work is billed at our standard investigation rates
Projects we decline
- Variety-style entertainment that treats investigation work as a gag or a curiosity
- Pieces that stay on the surface of the trade without an interest in how it actually works
- Media coordination or fixer services; we take part in stories, we do not arrange them
- Disclosure of any client, subject or live case, or the use of unlawful methods for the sake of a story
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