Tag - theft

 
 

THEFT

According to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative, there were about 30 cases of bonsai theft last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2025
Bonsai thefts sweep Japan as miniature trees grow more popular
About 30 cases of such theft occurred last year, according to the Nippon Bonsai Growers Cooperative.
The law will require scrap metal dealers to verify the identity of sellers during transactions.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 11, 2025
Japan moves to curb metal theft with new identity check laws
Metal theft has surged in recent years, driven by rising copper prices.
Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a former deputy manager at Hana Credit Union’s Yokohama branch on suspicion of stealing ¥619 million in cash from the branch's safe deposit boxes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 5, 2025
Hana Credit Union employee arrested on suspicion of safe deposit box theft
The suspect admitted to the allegations, telling police he used the stolen money to pay off debts and gamble.
A former employee of Mizuho Bank's Hiroo branch in Tokyo stole money from the safe deposit boxes of two clients between January 2016 and June 2019, according to the bank.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2025
Mizuho Bank confirms ¥66 million stolen from safe deposit boxes
A former employee stole the money from two clients' safe deposit boxes between January 2016 and June 2019.
Major Japanese banks are tightening controls on the management of safe-deposit boxes after a string of thefts involving bank employees rocked public confidence.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 24, 2025
Japanese banks to rethink security measures for safe-deposit boxes
A string of thefts involving bank employees have intensified scrutiny of a segment already grappling with weak demand and thin margins.
MUFG Bank President Junichi Hanzawa bows in apology in Tokyo on Jan. 17 following alleged massive thefts of customer assets by a former employee.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2025
Ex-MUFG bank worker paid interest to pawnshops to keep gold available to her
The bank worker is suspected of depositing in several pawnshops gold ingots worth several hundred million yen that she had stolen.
MUFG Bank's Nerima branch in Tokyo, where a former employee allegedly stole customer assets from safe deposit boxes
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025
MUFG Bank punishes execs over customer asset thefts
President Junichi Hanzawa will take a 30% cut in monthly pay for three months.
Former MUFG Bank employee Yukari Imamura, a suspect in the theft of gold ingots worth ¥260 million, leaves the Nerima Police Station in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2025
Ex-MUFG Bank employee arrested over theft of 20 kg gold deposits
At least 60 clients have been victims of the safe deposit box thefts, with the total damage expected to exceed ¥1 billion.
Copper cables stolen from a solar power facility and cable cutters used for the theft
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2025
Japan eyeing mandatory ID check for scrap metal trading
Stolen copper wires are often brought to buyers as scrap metal, but there is no law requiring identity verification, making it easier to cash in stolen items.
Two separate cases of attacks at homes in Chiba Prefecture were reported early Sunday morning.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2024
Suspects at large in dual Chiba armed robberies
Police are treating both incidents as armed robberies and are analyzing potential links between the two cases.
The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 20, 2024
Losses from crypto hacks jump to $2.2 billion in 2024, report finds
The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
MUFG Bank CEO Junichi Hanzawa (left) and other senior officials bow in apology at a news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 16, 2024
MUFG Bank apologizes for theft of ¥1 billion in valuables from deposit boxes
The manager accused of the thefts allegedly used backup keys to access the boxes.
Monex Group Chairperson Oki Matsumoto (center), celebrates the debut of Coincheck on the Nasdaq Global Market on Wednesday in New York.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2024
Japanese crypto exchange Coincheck goes public in U.S.
Coincheck, effectively controlled by Japanese online broker Monex Group, aims to expand its operations through acquisitions in the U.S. and Japan.
National Police Agency Commissioner General Yasuhiro Tsuyuki
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024
Police protected yami baito applicants in 125 cases
Since mid-October, the National Police Agency has been calling on applicants for such jobs to seek police advice and protection.
Keiko Muto, a suspect arrested on burglary resulting in injury charges after allegedly acting as the financial coordinator, is being transferred in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2024
Saitama police arrest suspected yami baito financial coordinator
A 26-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly acting as the financial coordinator in a violent burglary that occurred in October.
Kentaro Okuda, CEO of Nomura Holdings, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024
Nomura CEO takes pay cut after former employee charged with attempted murder
The CEO and four other executives will take a 30% pay cut for three months, while five members of the board will take a 20% pay cut for the same period.
Kiyotaka Sato, the suspect, enters the Koganei Police Station in Koganei City, Tokyo, on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2024
Two indicted men rearrested on fresh Kokubunji robbery charges
The suspects had already been arrested and indicted for committing a house burglary and hurting a resident in Saitama Prefecture.
Tokyo police have arrested six Chinese nationals on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student who had become involved in a financial dispute over a yami baito, or a “dark” part-time job.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 29, 2024
Tokyo police arrest six Chinese nationals over yami baito scheme
The six people are being held on suspicion of unlawful confinement and attempted extortion involving a 23-year-old exchange student.
Investigators seize items after raiding a store in the city of Sakado, Saitama Prefecture, that is suspected to have been used by a Vietnamese theft ring as a collection point, on Wednesday. The store's signboard is partly blurred for privacy reasons.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 27, 2024
Police raid Vietnamese theft ring's collection points
The group, linked to crimes in at least 10 prefectures, is believed to have sent stolen items to Vietnam for resale.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is investigating the incident and consulting with the police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2024
MUFG fires worker over ¥2 billion theft from clients’ safe deposit boxes
The theft by a front-line employee responsible for managing the safe deposit boxes took place at two branches in Tokyo over 4½ years.

Longform

The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties