08-07-2025
Over 800 suspected of cheating on TOEIC English exam in Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- At least 803 people in Japan are believed to have cheated on an English proficiency test between May 2023 and June 2025, the test's administrator said Monday, adding it has notified the examinees of the nullification of their exam results and a five-year ban on retaking the test.
The findings by the Institute for International Business Communication come after Wang Li Kun, a Chinese graduate student at Kyoto University, was arrested for allegedly trying to take TOEIC -- the Test of English for International Communication -- using another person's ID in May.
The examinees in question are believed to have taken advantage of the exam system that uses applicants' addresses to allocate testing sites, as they used the same or similar addresses as written on Wang's application.
Wang has allegedly told police that he received a message in Chinese around last winter that he would be paid for sitting the exam. The widespread fraud is suspected to have been organized by a Chinese group.
The 27-year-old allegedly hid a microphone inside a face mask, apparently to share his answers with other test takers. Around 40 people applied to sit the May exam using the same address as Wang.
The suspect has already been indicted on suspicion of forging a private document for sitting exams on another occasion in Tokyo.
