With many people worried about becoming the country's next crime statistic, the demand for advanced home- and personal-security products is on the rise.
Stores have been quick to cater to this growing market, stocking an ever-increasing range of high-tech locks, alarms and surveillance devices. In March, Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi opened a home-security section: One of its best-selling products is the Mul-T-Lock Cylinder (28,000 yen), an advanced dimple-type lock cylinder (see story below). The product is from Israel, whose high crimes rates, according to the importer, have resulted in the country's manufacturers developing the world's most advanced lock technology.
"Japanese people tend to use the same lock for years, and when they lose a key, spares can be easily made. This is really dangerous," says Hiroshi Kawaguchi of Japan Best Rescue System, the company that imports the Israeli lock. "For this product, each lock has a registered number, so users have to call us and tell us the number to get replacements made."