2025年5月，日本東京板橋區的一場TOEIC（多益英語能力測驗）考試中，一名就讀於京都大學研究生院2年級的27歲中國籍研究生王立坤因替考被當場逮捕，震驚留學圈。警方查獲他使用微型麥克風、智慧眼鏡等設備進行作弊，進而揭開一條以中國留學生為對象的組織性替考產業鏈。

王立坤不只是單獨替考，而是利用電子裝置（如智慧眼鏡、Apple Watch、骨傳導耳機等）接收「外部指導」答案，同時透過他將答案傳送給同場考試的其他考生。為達成此目的，涉案學生事先將報考地址統一設為特定區域，使他們能分配在同一考場，確保「老師」與「學生」可以順利溝通與協作作弊。這種作法已經超出個人行為，而是一場有組織的集體舞弊行動。據調查，光是這一場考試就有77人同步接受了答案傳送，而自2023年5月至2025年6月間，共有803名中國籍考生涉嫌透過相同手法參與作弊。

警方進一步追查後，發現這起作弊行為牽涉一條完整的「黑色產業鏈」：在中國社群平台（如小紅書、微信群）上，活躍著一批「留學考試服務商」，打著「高分保證、不過不收費」的口號招攬生意。這些服務商承諾可取得TOEIC 850分以上高分，收費從40萬至200萬日圓不等（折合人民幣約2至10萬元）。除考試當天的答案傳送外，業者還提供後續的論文代寫、畢業協助、推薦信包裝，甚至安排就業推薦等「一條龍服務」。整體模式可謂計劃縝密、技術先進，甚至利用虛假住址來操作考場分配，使替考與傳答能最大化效益。

TOEIC日本主辦機構IIBC確認事件後，已取消803名涉案考生的全部成績，並對其實施五年內禁考處分。同時，對於利用作弊成績入學的學生，相關大學將依法撤銷其學籍。警方與主辦單位也在持續追查是否有更多歷年案例尚未揭發。

本事件引起日本媒體與網路輿論的高度關注，部分日本網友批評此行為已損害整體考試制度的公信力與外國留學生的整體形象。不少Reddit與推特用戶直言，當高分可帶來留學簽證、學位與高薪工作時，這類行為就會成為「投資回報極高的作弊行為」。

而在中國網路上，有人譴責事件損害國人形象，也有人揭露國內類似代考、代辦服務普遍存在，反映教育競爭壓力與功利導向的現實。這起事件暴露了多層面的問題：

 1.考試制度漏洞：考場分配過於依賴報考地址，使作弊集團能透過集體操控住址集中分配。

 2.監考技術不足：即便是標準化國際考試，也尚未全面導入對高科技作弊設備的偵測能力。

 3.留學生焦慮與功利壓力：在留學過程中，一部分學生與家長極度看重「回報效益」，使作弊行為成為選項之一。

 4.跨國教育誠信機制缺失：對於利用作弊成績獲得學籍與文憑的監管機制尚不健全，讓產業鏈有可乘之機。

此次事件不僅是單純的考試舞弊，更反映出教育公平、科技濫用與制度漏洞交織下的灰色地帶。無論是考試主辦機構、教育單位，還是學生與家長自身，都必須正視這種「代價式成功」的危險信仰，否則將動搖整個國際教育體系的信任根基。防範作弊，絕不只是技術問題，更是道德選擇與制度設計的共同課題。

Mass Cheating Scandal in Japan’s TOEIC Exam: 803 Chinese Students Involved in Organized Exam Fraud Network

In May 2025, during a TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exam held in Tokyo’s Itabashi district, a Chinese graduate student, Wang Likun, 27, in his second year at Kyoto University’s Graduate School, was caught cheating and arrested on the spot. The incident shocked the international student community in Japan. Police discovered that Wang was using high-tech devices such as a miniature microphone and smart glasses to receive external assistance, which ultimately uncovered a large-scale, organized cheating operation targeting Chinese international students.

Wang was not simply taking the exam for someone else; instead, he acted as a central figure in a coordinated cheating system. Using smart glasses, an Apple Watch, bone-conduction earpieces, and other devices, he received real-time answers from someone outside the testing room. At the same time, he relayed those answers to other examinees present in the same test center. In preparation, the group registered for the test using coordinated addresses, ensuring that they were assigned to the same location—allowing seamless communication between the “instructor” and the “students.”

This well-planned strategy extended far beyond individual misconduct, amounting to a large-scale, organized cheating network. Investigators found that in just that one exam session, 77 individuals had received answers simultaneously. From May 2023 to June 2025, a total of 803 Chinese nationals were suspected of being involved in the same method of exam fraud.

Further investigation revealed a complete black-market industry chain behind the operation. On Chinese social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and WeChat, numerous “study-abroad testing service providers” advertised guaranteed high scores with slogans like “Guaranteed score, no fee if you fail.” These providers promised TOEIC scores of 850 or higher, with fees ranging from 400,000 to 2 million yen (approximately 20,000 to 100,000 RMB). In addition to real-time answer transmission during the exam, their services included ghostwriting of theses, graduation assistance, fabricated recommendation letters, and even job placement arrangements—a comprehensive, profit-driven scheme. The operation was technologically advanced and even exploited fake addresses to manipulate test site assignments and maximize the efficiency of cheating and answer-sharing.

After confirming the incident, TOEIC’s official administrator in Japan, IIBC, invalidated the test scores of all 803 students involved and issued a five-year ban from retaking the test. For those who had used fraudulent scores to gain admission to universities, the relevant institutions have moved to revoke their enrollment. Authorities are also continuing investigations to determine if more cases remain undiscovered.

The scandal triggered widespread media coverage and online backlash in Japan. Many Japanese citizens expressed concern that such behavior undermines the credibility of the entire testing system and damages the reputation of international students. On platforms like Reddit and Twitter, users pointed out that with high TOEIC scores often tied to visa applications, academic admissions, and job offers, cheating becomes a “high-return investment,” despite its moral cost.

In China, the reaction was mixed. Some condemned the incident as tarnishing the national image, while others revealed that similar “proxy test” and “academic agent” services are widespread back home, reflecting the intense pressure and utilitarian mindset embedded in the country’s educational culture.

The incident exposes multiple systemic issues:

 • The flaws in the test administration system, particularly how test sites are assigned based on addresses, allowing coordinated cheating through fake residential information.

 • The lack of anti-cheating technology during even standardized international exams, with insufficient detection of sophisticated electronic devices.

 • The pressures faced by international students, many of whom—along with their families—place extreme emphasis on the “return on investment” of studying abroad, making cheating seem justifiable to some.

 • The absence of robust international academic integrity systems, allowing students who gain admission or degrees through fraud to go unpunished and enabling the underground industry to thrive.

This was not merely an isolated cheating case. It reflected a deep-seated gray zone where educational integrity, technology abuse, and systemic loopholes collide. Preventing such misconduct is not just a matter of technical surveillance; it requires a fundamental ethical commitment and stronger institutional safeguards. If left unaddressed, it threatens the very trust that upholds the international education system. Institutions, educators, parents, and students alike must confront the dangers of this “success at all costs” mentality, or risk eroding the foundations of global academic credibility.