TOKYO (TR) – A court here this week upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a 47-year-old former MUFG Bank employee to nine years in prison for stealing gold bars and cash from safe deposit boxes at two branches, reports TBS News (Mar. 24).
At the Tokyo High Court on March 24, the court rejected Yukari Yamazaki’s argument that the sentence was too harsh, stating that “there was no unreasonable error in the first instance judgment, which took into account the circumstances of the crime, such as the enormous amount of damage and the fact that the victim was not at fault in any way.”
According to the indictment, Yamazaki was alleged to have stolen a total of 29 gold bars (worth approximately 333 million yen), approximately 61 million yen in cash and 50 travel vouchers (total value of 250,000 yen) from six customers’ safe deposit boxes between March 2023 and October 2024 at the bank’s Nerima and Tamagawa branches.
“I am truly sorry”
During the first trial at the Tokyo District Court last year, Yamazaki apologized. She said, “I am truly sorry for causing distrust in the financial industry.”
She also admitted to having a gambling addiction.”I had lost sight of my true self,” she said. “I want to cure my gambling addiction and never repeat this crime again.”
In October 2025, the court said that Yamazaki’s motive was to cover losses incurred from foreign exchange margin trading. It pointed out that she used a spare key, which only a limited number of employees were allowed to use, to open the safe deposit box, and that she “abused his responsible position, such as branch manager’s deputy, which was given to him because he was trusted by the bank.”
She was sentenced her to nine years in prison. The prosecution had sought a twelve year term. Yamazaki’s side then appealed to the Tokyo High Court, claiming the sentence was unjust.
At a hearing during the appeal in February, Yamazaki stated, “I feel every day how serious the crime I committed is. After my release, I will find a job as soon as possible and repay as much as I can.”
The incident came to light in October 2024 when a customer using a safe deposit box contacted the bank reporting that their deposited cash was missing. Yamazaki was dismissed from her job the following November.
