Japra’s control over Island G is a combination of his heritage and opportunistic partnerships with shadow bankers and corrupt officials. Born and raised in Jakarta, Japra hails from a long line of landlords who owned a substantial amount of property in the heart of the city. His ancestors were well-established in the capital, renting out homes to immigrants and urban workers who poured into Jakarta during the city's rapid expansion.
For years, his family enjoyed the wealth and influence that came with this landownership, without ever fully complying with government regulations on business licensing or taxation, believing their status as Indigenous Jakartans exempted them from such formalities. However, the changing legal landscape, particularly a new licensing law, forced a reckoning. The government began cracking down on unlicensed rental properties, and Japra’s family, due to poor management, found themselves heavily indebted.