People who have lost their jobs and do not have money for food seem to be responsible for an increase in convenience store robberies in Tokyo. The Metropolitan Police Department said food is being targeted instead of cash. In September, a man armed with a knife stole onigiri (rice balls) and flavored carbonated alcoholic beverages
The effort to prevent elderly people from becoming victims of fraud continues with the debut of audio alerts during transactions at automatic teller machines in convenience stores. The caution message on the ATM screen and the voice announcement is designed to alert the elderly to the possibilty they are being swindled. The warning screen appears
The camera-police-hotline-alarm-equipped Coca-Cola vending machine installed in a park in Toyohashi, on October 10, 2008, has been vandalized. (Crime-Fighting Vending Machine) LJ October 12) Police report the top-mounted security camera wiring had been cut and the camera was dangling over the front of the machine. "Surveillance society" (in Japanese) had been sprayed in black paint
Coke machine guards park A new vending machine has a built-in direct phone line to the police department, an alarm buzzer, a 24-hour video-recording surveillance camera, and a revolving red light on top. "The "Help Vending Machine" was provided by Coca Cola in cooperation with the Aichi prefectural police. The machine is located in Iwata
Strange Stolen Stuff FUSSA – Fireflies flying around Fussa are being stolen, prompting careful counting by neighborhod-watch patrols. Fussa’s Hotaru Koen (firefly park), in the western suburbs of Tokyo, is famous for its fireflies. The annual Fussa Firefly Festival in mid-June attracts tens of thousands of people. Usually 200-to-300 lightning bugs could be seen at
A suspect in a crime is identified by name, and employer or occupation, but other people arrested for similar crimes are called only “company employees”( whatever that means.) In Japan, it seems the employer and occupation are revealed for anyone in a media-related occupation, who is caught driving while intoxicated, or peeping under skirts, or
From stylish Omote Sando in Tokyo, to the far rural areas of Japan, “Watch for Molesters” signs are a common sight. (above: The chikan sign in Omote Sando: “Chikan attention. Immediately call 110”) [“Watch for Chikan” gallery ]["Watch for Chikan” homemade][Osaka police “Stop Chikan”] Aichi Police – How to Avoid or Catch Chikan in 10
Hidden microphones and cameras are increasingly being used for corporate spying in Japan. The Daily Yomiuri reports competition has lead to increased snooping. And many Japanese companies are not sufficiently protected. So who ya gonna call? Well information leak control officers at the Tokyo-based, non-profit, Japan Information Leak Control Management (JILCoM) will check for hidden
