TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 31-year-old unemployed man suspected of carrying out a prolific string of burglaries, targeting mass retailers across the capital region more than 50 times, reports TBS News (Sep. 26).
Shinya Kawasaki, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of theft and trespassing. Police allege that on two separate occasions — June 10 and June 24 — Kawasaki infiltrated the warehouse of the same large retail store in Tokyo’s Kita Ward. He is accused of making off with four items, including batteries for power tools, valued at approximately 130,000 yen.
According to investigators, Kawasaki utilized a simple but effective method: entering the stores posing as an ordinary shopper before slipping unnoticed into restricted warehouse areas to snatch the goods.
Upon his arrest, Kawasaki fully admitted to the allegations.
“I wanted to supplement my living expenses, so I stole items and sold them,” Kawasaki told investigators. “I’ve done it about 50 times.”
Tip of iceberg
Tokyo police believe the Kita Ward thefts are just the tip of the iceberg.
Investigators suspect Kawasaki is responsible for more than 50 similar warehouse burglaries at mass retailers across Tokyo, Kanagawa, and three other neighboring prefectures in a crime spree dating back to September 2022.
Police estimate the total value of the stolen merchandise to be a staggering 10 million yen. Investigations into the broader string of thefts are ongoing.
