TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday held a shoplifting prevention event in the Akihabara shopping district of Chiyoda Ward, a location that has been hit with of jump in thefts of anime and game goods over the past year, reports TV Asahi (Feb. 21).
The area around JR Akihabara Station is famous for its many manga and anime specialty stores and maid cafes. On Thursday, officers from the Manseibashi Police Station gathered. Meanwhile, ladies in maid outfits handed out tissues with “Shoplifting is a crime” written on them in Japanese and English.
There were approximately 150 cases of shoplifting at surrounding stores last year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Books, figurines and trading cards were the most common items stolen, with the most expensive item being a trading card worth approximately 4.8 million yen.
“We want to eliminate shoplifting from Akihabara,” said Hiroyuki Nakata, deputy chief of the Manseibashi Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Akihabara, reports TBS News (Feb. 21). “We want to work together with the public and private sectors to prevent shoplifting.”
As many foreign tourists gather in the area, police hope to raise crime prevention awareness by speaking to people of all nationalities to reduce the number of cases as much as possible.
According to police, shoplifting is known as a “gateway crime,” which means perpetrators could go on to commit more significant offenses.
